In Brief
The Supreme Court dismissed petitions by Kamal Nath, President of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, challenging Election Commission decisions on electoral roll publication format. The petitioner sought directions for VVPAT verification at 10% polling stations and demanded draft electoral rolls be supplied in searchable text format to detect duplicate voters. The Court held that Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual requires 'text mode' (textual content without photos) but not searchable PDFs. The ECI's non-searchable image PDF format complies with the Manual. The Court rejected demands for VVPAT verification and CCTV in polling booths, citing earlier orders and voter privacy concerns. The writ petitions were dismissed.
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