New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition calling for a return to paper ballot voting in India, raising questions over the petitioner’s rationale.
During the hearing, Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale sharply criticized K.A. Paul, the petitioner, who had argued that concerns raised by political leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy regarding Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering warranted a switch back to paper ballots.
The bench questioned Paul’s logic, stating, “How do you get these brilliant ideas?” It further pointed out the inconsistency in political parties’ objections, observing that “If you win elections, EVMs are not tampered with. But when you lose, they suddenly become an issue.” The court emphasized that such grievances were not suitable for judicial review and dismissed the petition.
Paul, who leads a humanitarian organization, also urged the court to disqualify candidates found guilty of distributing inducements like money or liquor during elections. However, the bench advised him to focus on his social work rather than venture into the political domain.
Paul additionally referenced international examples, such as the United States, where paper ballots are used, claiming that EVMs pose a threat to democracy. He also cited Elon Musk’s concerns over EVM tampering, but the bench questioned his resistance to India’s unique electoral system, asking, “Why don’t you want to be different from the rest of the world?”
In response to ongoing allegations about EVM reliability, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, while announcing election dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand in October, defended the robustness of the system. He challenged critics to provide a more transparent electoral model, reiterating that accusations of tampering were often raised when results do not go a party’s way.
