New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday heard the VVPAT cross-verification matter and asked the Election Commission to look into the allegation made by advocate Prashant Bhushan that during a mock poll in Kasaragod, Kerala four EVMs were recording one extra vote for BJP.
VVPAT cross-verification: The Supreme Court asks ECI to look into the allegation made by advocate Prashant Bhushan that during a mock poll in Kasaragod, Kerala four EVMs were recording one extra vote for BJP.
Supreme Court observes that this is electoral process and there has to… pic.twitter.com/T2GEOsK3oW
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During the hearing, the Supreme Court observed that this is an electoral process and there has to be sanctity to it and let nobody have apprehension that something which is expected is not being done.
The Supreme Court said that there has to be sanctity in the electoral process and asked the Election Commission of India to explain in detail the steps followed to ensure free and fair polls.
“This is (an) electoral process. There has to be sanctity. Let nobody have apprehension that something which is expected is not being done,” the bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta said.
Notably, the Top Court is hearing petitions seeking cross-verification of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) with paper slips generated through the VVPAT system. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, the poll body’s counsel, is in court to respond to the questions.
On behalf of the petitioners, Advocate Nizam Pasha said a voter should be allowed to take the VVPAT slip after he votes and deposit it in a ballot box. When Justice Khanna asked if such a process won’t affect the voter’s privacy, Pasha replied, “Voter privacy cannot be used to defeat voter’s rights.”