North News
New Delhi, November 26
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the reintroduction of paper ballots and other electoral reforms. The court found the arguments presented by petitioner Evangelist Dr. KA Paul unconvincing, stating that allegations of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering lacked substantive evidence. Rejecting the petition, the court noted the inconsistency in political leaders’ positions on EVMs. “When Chandrababu Naidu or Mr. Reddy lose, they say EVMs are tampered. When they win, they remain silent. How can we entertain such arguments?” the bench observed while dismissing the plea.
The court emphasized that unsubstantiated claims of EVM tampering undermine trust in the electoral process and dismissed the plea as unfounded.
Dr. Paul argued that EVMs could be manipulated and cited examples of prominent figures like Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had raised concerns about EVM reliability. He further suggested India adopt voting practices similar to the United States, relying on physical ballots.
