the Supreme Court told the Election Commission of India today, asking the poll body to explain in detail the steps followed to ensure free and fair polls. “This is (an) electoral process. There has to be sanctity.
According to ” the bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta Let nobody have apprehension that” the bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta .
The court is hearing petitions seeking cross-verification of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) with paper slips generated through the VVPAT system. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, the poll body’s counsel, and poll officials are in court to respond to the questions.
According to, Advocate Prashant Bhushan , that the light on the VVPAT machine should remain on at all times — it now stays on for seven seconds. “One possible solution is if they can’t change glass at this stage, at least the light should remain on at all times, so I can see the slip cutting and falling. No privacy will be compromised.”
Mr. Bhushan cited a report on mock poll results in Kerala, where extra votes were recorded for the BJP. The court asked Mr. Singh to explain this. The Election Commission later said that the report is completely false.
When the court asked if there was any software in the VVPAT printer, the poll body replied in the negative. “There is a 4 megabyte flash memory in every PAT which stores symbols. The returning officer prepares electronic ballot, which is loaded into the symbol loading unit. It will give a serial number, name of the candidate and symbol. Nothing is preloaded. It’s not data, it’s image format.”
Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, also appearing for petitioners, said there should be a separate audit to add greater credibility to the counting process.
VOTING PROCESS, In its explanation of the voting process, the poll body said the EVM’s control unit commands the VVPAT unit to print its paper slip.
This slip is visible to the voter for seven seconds before it falls into a sealed box, Mr. Singh said. The machines are checked before polling in the presence of engineers, it added.
When the court asked if there was any software in the VVPAT printer, the poll body replied in the negative. “There is a 4 megabyte flash memory in every PAT which stores symbols. The returning officer prepares electronic ballot, which is loaded into the symbol loading unit. It will give a serial number, name of the candidate and symbol. Nothing is preloaded. It’s not data, it’s image format.”
The Election Commission told the court that all voting machines pass through the mock poll process. “Candidates are allowed to pick up randomly 5 per cent machines. The process is repeated on poll day. VVPAT slips are taken out, counted and matched. All machines have different kind of paper seals. At the time when a machine arrives for counting, seal number can be checked,” an official said.
When the court asked how many Symbol Loading Units are created for the polling, a poll body official replied, “Normally one in a constituency. It’s in custody of Returning Officer till conclusion of poll.” The court then asked if this unit is sealed to ensure no tampering, the Election Commission replied that no such process is currently in place.
The Election Commission told the court that the voting machines run on firmware and the program cannot be changed. The machines are kept in strongrooms that are locked in presence of representatives of political parties.
The Election Commission said that once polling is over, the machines are taken back to strong rooms, which are sealed in the presence of candidates. On counting day, the strongrooms are opened in the presence of candidates.
The court then asked the Election Commission if it is possible for a voter to get a slip after voting. The poll body replied that this would compromise the secrecy of the vote and may be misused outside the booth. “How it can be used by others we cannot say,” it said.
The Supreme Court said there is a trust factor. “There seems to be some disconnect between what you are telling us and what is available in the public domain. That needs to be bridged,” it said. The poll official replied, “We have nothing to hide.”
“Voter trust is to be maintained and protected. How do we ensure integrity of (the) entire mechanism?” the court asked. “We will update FAQs,” the poll body replied.
The Election Commission’s counsel said the petitioners’ request for a return to ballot paper voting system is a “retrograde suggestion”.
