Verification of EVM and VVPAT slips during elections: Supreme Court reserves judgment

Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of India reserved the judgment on petitions seeking thorough verification of EVM (Electronic Voting Machine)-VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips during elections. The matter was heard by a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court consisting of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta. Earlier on April 01, 2024, the SC issued a notice to the ECI regarding the matter. During the proceedings, Advocate Prashant Bhushan who appeared for the Association for Democratic Reforms quoted a report published by Manorama Online regarding various complaints about the mock polls conducted on the EVMs in the Kasargod constituency in Kerela. According to the report, complaints were made to the District Collector by both the LDF (Left Democratic Front) and UDF (United Democratic Front) stating, that four EVMs erroneously registered extra votes in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Hearing this, Justice Khanna said, “Mr. Maninder Singh please crosscheck it.” Senior Advocate Maninder Singh was making submissions on behalf of the ECI during the hearing today. After hearing the matter today, the SC bench reserved the judgment.