 "EVM, VVPAT, EVM tranning, Guwahati")
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Election Commission on a petition calling for the comprehensive counting of all Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) paper slips during elections.
The petition had challenged the current practice of verifying only five randomly selected Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in each assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency.
Filed through the Supreme Court advocate-on-record Neha Rathi, the petition contested the Election Commission’s guidelines mandating sequential VVPAT verification, arguing that this approach leads to unwarranted delays.
Moreover, the plea highlighted that despite the substantial expenditure of nearly Rs 5,000 crore on procuring nearly 24 lakh VVPATs, the current practice only verifies VVPAT slips from approximately 20,000 machines.
What are VVPAT slips?
VVPAT slips are an integral part of the EVMs used in elections. It provides a physical paper trail for voters to verify that their vote has been correctly recorded by the EVM. It ensures transparency and accountability in the electoral process by allowing voters to verify their vote before casting it finally.
The VVPAT produces a paper slip that permits the voter to confirm the accuracy of their vote on the EVM. This slip displays the name and symbol of the party chosen by the voter.
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Additionally, the machine features a transparent window through which the voter can observe the printed slip. Subsequently, the slip is securely deposited into a sealed compartment within the machine. However, in the event of a dispute, this sealed box can be opened for further examination.
What is the history of VVPAT?
Introduced in 2014 for the first time during the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, the concept of VVPAT was to enhance the credibility and transparency of EVMs. The ECI conducted pilot tests of VVPAT systems in a few constituencies in 2011, and after successful trials, VVPAT was gradually deployed across all polling stations in subsequent elections.
Controversies surrounding VVPAT
Despite its intended purpose of enhancing transparency, VVPAT has been subject to several controversies over the years. Some critics have raised concerns about the reliability of VVPAT systems, citing instances of malfunctioning printers, paper jams, and discrepancies between electronic and paper records.
The Opposition parties within the INDIA bloc have been advocating for the full counting of VVPATs, to bolster public trust in the EVMs, which itself has been subjected to intense scrutiny recently.
Their concern has mostly stemmed from allegations of delay in the printing and displaying VVPAT slips for every vote, which they claim can significantly increase the time required for vote counting.
A history of Supreme Court’s intervention in VVPATs
Monday’s Supreme Court directive is not the first instance of similar complaints to the top court. In April, 2019, the SC had asked the poll panel to increase the number of EVMs that undergo VVPAT physical verification from one to five per assembly segment in a parliamentary constituency.
In the month of May same year, the Supreme Court had dismissed a writ petition seeking 100 per cent counting of VVPAT in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier in the same month, the top court had also dismissed the review petition filed by opposition parties to increase verification of VVPAT-EVM to 50 per cent.
