Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

SC orders 5 checks in every Assembly segment

By The Assam Tribune

NEW DELHI, April 8 - The Supreme Court directed the EC on Monday to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment, from one at present, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls saying it will bring more �credibility� and �integrity� to the electoral process.

The apex court however did not agree to the demand of 21 Opposition leaders, led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, for counting of at least 50 percent of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips with Electronic Voting Machines per assembly segment.

The Election Commission currently follows a system of random counting of VVPAT slips in one polling booth per assembly segment of a Parliamentary or Assembly constituency.

�It is our considered view and having regard to the totality of the facts, it would generate greater satisfaction and will foolproof the electoral process if number of VVPAT machines is increased to five per assembly segment of each Parliamentary constituency,� a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.

The bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, made it clear that the existing mechanism of random process to select EVMs for VVPAT slips matching as being done by the poll panel would continue to apply.

�We are of the view that if the number of EVMs in respect to VVPAT is subjected to physical scrutiny be increased from one to five per assembly segment...There will be greater satisfaction not only to the political parties but also to the voters,� the bench said.

It emphasised that increasing the number of EVMs for VVPAT slips matching per assembly segment would neither require additional manpower and infrastructure nor delay the declaration of result. � PTI

Next Story