The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a return to paper ballots in elections, rejecting arguments about Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering as unsubstantiated.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale heard the petition filed by Evangelist Dr. KA Paul, who alleged that EVMs posed a threat to democracy. He claimed support from prominent political leaders, including Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who he said had previously questioned the integrity of EVMs.
The Court found no merit in the arguments, pointing out the inconsistency in the claims of political leaders. “When Chandrababu Naidu or Mr. Reddy lost, they say that EVMs are tampered. When they won, they don’t say anything. How can we see this? We are dismissing this. This is not the place where you argue all of this,” the Bench remarked.
Dr. Paul suggested India adopt voting practices similar to the United States, which primarily uses paper ballots, and alleged that even Tesla CEO Elon Musk had raised concerns over EVM tampering. However, the Court dismissed these allegations as speculative.
In addition to advocating for paper ballots, Dr. Paul proposed broader electoral reforms, including:
- Disqualifying candidates for five years if found distributing money or liquor.
- Implementing a voter education program to boost electoral participation.
- Establishing an investigative body to scrutinize political party funding.
- Developing a policy framework to curb election-related violence.
The Court, however, found no compelling evidence or grounds to entertain the PIL and firmly upheld the use of EVMs, emphasizing their reliability in India’s electoral system.
