The Supreme Court of India heard petitions concerning the use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and issues related to secret ballot voting. So during the hearing, Justice Sanjiv Khanna expressed concerns about past incidents during the era of paper ballots, indicating a need for an improvement in the current system.
VVPAT is a system that permits voters to verify if their vote has been correctly cast and counted towards their chosen candidate. It produces a paper slip that can be securely stored and accessed in case of disputes.
Amid doubts raised by opposition parties about EVMs, petitions have been filed demanding the cross-verification of each vote cast to ensure accuracy and transparency.
At present, only the VVPAT paper slips of five randomly selected EVMs in each assembly constituency or segment undergo physical verification.
However, petitions by organizations like the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and activist Arun Kumar Agarwal seek to change this practice. Agarwal’s petition specifically calls for the counting of all VVPAT slips to uphold the integrity of the process of voting.
The court’s scrutiny of these petitions on April 1 prompted responses from both the Election Commission of India and the Centre.
The outcome of these deliberations could potentially lead to significant changes in how votes are verified and counted in upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The aim is to enhance transparency and address concerns raised by political parties and activists regarding the electoral process.
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