EC to Implement SC’s VVPAT Order With “Immediate Effect”

A PIL filed by leaders of 21 opposition parties demanded the counting & cross verification of VVPAT.

Ahead of the first phase of voting for the Gujarat Assembly election, the EC has promised there will be no tampering with the EVMs and the VVPATs. 

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The Election Commission of India (EC), on Monday, 8 April, said that it will make all-out efforts to implement the directions of the Supreme Court to increase the random matching of EVM results with paper trail machine slips from one polling station per assembly seat to five "with immediate effect," soon after the SC ordered the commission to increase the VVPAT verification per seat.

The SC on Monday, 8 April, ordered the Election Commission to increase the verification of Voter Verified Paper Trial (VVPAT) from one Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) to five randomly selected EVMs per constituency.

The order comes after a PIL filed by leaders of 21 opposition parties demanding the counting and cross verification go VVPAT in at least 50 percent of all polling stations.

The petition challenged the EC’s decision to verify VVPAT of only one randomly selected booth of a constituency. The petitioners in the case said that this only covers 0.44 percent of the votes casted.

The EC, on the other hand, filed a counter affidavit in the matter, pointing out logistical difficulties in carrying out 50 percent VVPAT verification.

Earlier, a bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi had sought a reply from the EC whether it is possible to increase the VVPAT survey in every assembly segment.

According to a Live Law report, the Election Commission also submitted that no foul play was detected while using VVPAT during the 2017 assembly elections.

(With inputs from Live Law.)