India News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Supreme Court's ruling on cross-verification of votes and said that the judgment dealt a significant blow to the o
India News: NEW DELHI: Supreme Court judge Dipankar Datta on Friday expressed concern over "concerted efforts to discredit, diminish and weaken India's progress" .
In a significant development this morning - as the country votes in the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election - the Supreme Court has given Electronic Voting Machines, or EVMs, a big vote of confidence.
The Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking to tally VVPAT slips with EVM votes, calling the demand to return to the ballot paper system "regressive." Justices Khanna and Datta described EVMs as "simple, secure, and user-friendly." The court asked the Election Commission to examine suggestions for machine counting of VVPAT slips and barcoding symbols in VVPATs. It passed two directions to strengthen election integrity, including sealing symbol loading units and allowing candidates to verify votes. Justice Datta raised concerns about the motives behind such petitions, aiming to discredit the nation s progress.
The Supreme Court has requested clarification from the Election Commission of India regarding the 100% verification of EVM votes with VVPAT slips. The court has asked an officer from the Election Commission to appear before it and address certain queries at 2 pm today. Last week, the court reserved its verdict on a set of PILs related to this matter, cautioning against unfounded suspicions regarding EVMs.