Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking return to paper ballot instead of EVMs

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking the reintroduction of the physical/ paper ballot voting system in elections, along with several other electoral reforms[Dr KA Paul v. Union of India and Others].

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale found little weight in the petitioner’s argument that even leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had questioned Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering.

"When Chandrababu Naidu or Mr Reddy lost, they say that EVMs are tampered when they won, they don't say anything. How can we see this? We are dismissing this. This is not the place where you argue all of this," the Court said.

The petitioner, Evangelist Dr KA Paul, argued that EVMs could be tampered with and suggested that India should follow the practices of countries like the United States which use physical ballots.

He contended that EVMs pose a threat to democracy, alleging that even prominent figures like Elon Musk had voiced concerns over EVM tampering. He also claimed that multiple political parties and leaders, including Chandrababu Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy, supported his position.

He also raised broader electoral concerns, requesting -

1. Disqualification of candidates for five years if caught distributing money or liquor and a comprehensive policy to deal with the same;

2. A voter education program to increase electoral participation;

3. Investigative machinery to scrutinize political party funding;

4. A policy framework to prevent election-related violence.

[Live Coverage]