Supreme Court Dismisses Return to Ballot Paper Voting: Controversy Over EVMs Continues

The Supreme Court dismissed a petition urging a return to ballot paper voting, submitted by K A Paul. The plea also sought measures against electoral inducements. The court questioned the relevance of the petition and addressed claims of EVM tampering by Indian political figures.

The Supreme Court has rejected a petition advocating for a return to ballot paper voting, asserting the current electronic system suffices. Justice Vikram Nath noted that losing candidates often allege tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), though no concrete evidence has supported these claims thus far.

The petition, filed by activist K A Paul, also proposed punitive measures against candidates found distributing money or liquor for votes. Despite acknowledging Paul's commendable humanitarian work, the bench questioned his involvement in election-related issues.

Paul referenced global practices favoring ballot papers and raised concerns about corruption, but the court dismissed these, citing a lack of relevance to the petition's requested relief. The debate over EVM reliability remains contentious among political figures.

(With inputs from agencies.)