With days ahead of national elections 2019, the Top Court on Monday directed the Election Commission to increase the number of VVPAT Verification in the assembly segment from one to five. Currently, the poll body verifies one VVPAT in one assembly segment of the Parliamentary Constituency.
The Top Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said ‘increasing the VVPAT verification from one EVM per constituency to five is to ensure the greatest degree of accuracy, satisfaction in the election process and not only political parties but the poor should be satisfied.’
The Highest Court further directed that this order should not cause in the delay in the counting of votes. The Court further clarified that this order should not be dupped as a result of any deficiency in the existing system wherein the poll panel randomly picks up any EVM to cross-check VVPAT Counts.
Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi says 'increasing the VVPAT verification from one EVM per constituency to five is to ensure the greatest degree of accuracy, satisfaction in election process and not only political parties but the poor should be satisfied.' https://t.co/QFKdcs8cj1
— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2019
The Court Directions came on the plea filed by the 21 Opposition parties seeking direction that 50 percent EVM results are matched and crosschecked with VVPATs before the declaration of results in the upcoming General Elections.
Earlier the poll body in a response to the petition said that it will delay the result by 4-5 days. The EC’s affidavit in the Court stated ‘It is submitted that 50 percent VVPAT slip verification in each assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency or assembly constituency, on an average shall enlarge the time required for counting to about five days’.
The Petition filed by the Leaders also sought to dismiss the Poll Body’s notification that made paper audit trail verification mandatory in just one polling station in an assembly constituency.
While CEC Sunil Arora had on March 10 while announcing the dates for the General Elections said that VVPAT will be used in upcoming Mega Battle of Ballots. VVPATs, attached to EVMS and Control Units enable the voter to see the name of Candidate and Party to who is vote cast to.
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