Supreme Court to hear plea for vote verification with VVPAT next week

Supreme Court/ File pic

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it will hear a petition from an NGO next week asking for the cross-verification of votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).

A bench chaired by Justice Sanjiv Khanna has stated that the plea will be heard next Tuesday or Wednesday. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO, requested immediate attention to the situation, reported PTI.

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According to the report, senior counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who is also involved in the case, emphasised the upcoming elections and cautioned that failing to hear the plea swiftly would render it ineffectual.

Justice Khanna, who presided over a special bench that also included Justices MM Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi, told the court that it is aware of the urgency and will hear the case next week, the news agency report further added.

"Mr Bhushan, after all, how much time this matter will take. You can make submissions in two hours and we will finish the matter. Ok. Next week," Justice Khanna said, the PTI report stated.

Per the report, addressing Bhushan, Justice Khanna remarked that the case may be settled quickly with two hours of submissions, indicating a preference for expedited processes.

On July 17, last year, the Supreme Court requested a response from the Election Commission of India in response to a petition brought by the non-governmental organisation 'Association for Democratic Reforms', PTI report further stated.

The petition sought directives to the poll panel and the central government to ensure that voters can verify their votes through VVPATs, confirming that their votes were counted accurately.

With the seven-phase Lok Sabha Elections 2024 scheduled to begin on April 19, the problem of vote verification has acquired importance.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 schedule

The Election Commission of India, on March 16, published the dates for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, which will be held in seven parts. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, which would be held in seven parts beginning April 19.

He stated that the first phase would be held on April 19, the second phase on April 26, the third phase on May 7, the fourth phase on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth phase on May 25, and the seventh phase on June 1.