Supreme Court stands by EVMs, dismisses petition for ballot paper voting

New Delhi, Nov 26: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition calling for the reintroduction of ballot paper voting, noting that allegations of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are often raised only when election results are unfavorable to the complainants.

The petition, filed by KA Paul, was dismissed by Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale, who pointed out that accusations of EVM tampering were made by political figures like Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Reddy only when they lost, while no such claims were made when they won. The bench remarked, "This is not the forum for such arguments."

Paul, who heads an organization dedicated to rescuing orphans and widows, argued that EVMs pose a threat to democracy and suggested that India follow the U.S. model of using paper ballots. He also cited global figures, including Elon Musk, who have voiced concerns over EVM integrity.

In response, the court asked, "Why do you want to be different from the rest of the world?" and emphasized that EVMs are a reliable and secure system. The Election Commission (EC) has consistently defended the transparency and security of EVMs. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar recently asserted that raising questions about EVMs only when the results are unfavorable undermines the integrity of the election process, which ensures broad participation and transparency.