New Delhi: The Congress celebration has welcomed the latest transfer by the Supreme Court, issuing a discover to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Centre relating to a vital petition advocating for the excellent counting of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) paper slips in elections. Commending the Supreme Court’s motion as a big first step, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh emphasised the urgency of a immediate choice on the matter earlier than the Lok Sabha elections begin. He reiterated the celebration’s longstanding demand for 100% VVPATs to boost public confidence in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and uphold the integrity of the electoral course of.
“It bears constant repetition that the Election Commission has refused to meet a delegation of INDIA party leaders who have been demanding 100% VVPATs in order to increase public confidence in EVMs and to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. The notice is an important first step, but for it to be meaningful, the matter should be decided before the elections commence,” mentioned Ramesh in a publish on X.
The Supreme Court has issued a discover immediately to the Election Commission on the difficulty of VVPATs.
It bears fixed repetition that the Election Commission has refused to satisfy a delegation of INDIA celebration leaders who’ve been demanding 100% VVPATs as a way to improve public…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 1, 2024
The Supreme Court on Monday issued discover to the ECI and Centre on a petition looking for the counting of all Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) paper slips in elections, as an alternative of the verification of solely 5 randomly chosen (Electronic Voting Machines) EVMs in every meeting phase of a parliamentary constituency.
The petition, filed by lawyer and activist Arun Kumar Agrawal, challenges the ECI’s present guideline of sequentially verifying VVPATs, arguing that this method causes pointless delays. Agrawal’s plea means that simultaneous verification, coupled with elevated deployment of officers, might expedite the method, enabling full VVPAT verification inside a matter of hours. The petition additional said that whereas the federal government has spent round Rs 5000 crores on the acquisition of practically 24 lakh VVPATs, presently VVPAT slips of solely roughly 20,000 VVPATs are verified.
Call For Enhanced Transparency And Accountability
The petition additionally highlights the numerous expenditure incurred by the federal government on VVPATs and emphasizes the necessity for full utilization of those assets. With considerations raised by consultants relating to discrepancies between EVM and VVPAT counts, the plea advocates for enhanced transparency and accountability within the electoral course of. It stresses the significance of permitting voters to bodily confirm that their votes have been precisely recorded, thereby bolstering public belief within the democratic course of.
VVPAT: A Critical Component Of Electoral Process
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) serves as an impartial system essential for verifying votes in elections. It empowers voters to verify the accuracy of their votes by producing a paper slip displaying their chosen candidate’s title, which can be utilized for verification in case of disputes. The Supreme Court’s earlier directive to extend VVPAT verification from one to 5 EVMs per meeting phase additional underscores the importance of this subject in guaranteeing clear and honest elections.
