23 Opposition parties move court on EVMs and VVPAT

23 Opposition parties move court on EVMs and VVPAT

1. Opposition parties have moved to the Supreme Court demanding the random verification of at least 50% Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) using Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in every Assembly segment or constituency.
2. Opposition parties have argued that this would increase voter confidence and make the electoral process more transparent. They have contended that free and fair elections is a part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution. The Supreme Court has held that democracy is one of the inalienable basic features of the Constitution of India and forms part of its basic structure. Free and fair elections are a central feature of democracy.
3. In 2013, the Supreme Court in Subramanian Swami Case, had held that VVPAT for EVMs was an indispensable requirement of free and fair elections. The SC had directed the Election Commission to introduce VVPAT in EVMs in gradual stages or geographical-wise in the 2014 general elections.
4. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an independent system attached to an EVM that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended. At present, VVPAT slips in one randomly chosen polling station per constituency are tallied with EVM results.