VVPAT Trail: No institution including judiciary should insulate itself, Supreme Court to Election Commission

The Supreme Court today ordered the Election Commission of India to file an affidavit setting out reasons as to why it is not in favour of physical verification of VVPAT paper trail for more than one polling station per assembly segment..A Bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta directed that the affidavit has to be filed by 4 pm on Thursday this week..The petition filed by leaders of various political parties seeks physical verification of the VVPAT paper trail for at least 50 per cent of the polling stations..The Court had issued notice to the Election Commission during the last hearing and had asked the Election Commission to depute a senior official to assist the Court..When the matter was taken up today, Deputy Election Commissioner – EVMs Sudip Jain was present in Court..The Bench asked him whether the ECI could increase the number of polling stations in which physical verification of VVPAT trail can be done. The Bench also hinted that the ECI should increase it..“Will you be able to increase it? We would like you to increase it”, said CJI Gogoi..Jain, however, said that it is not necessary to increase it saying that it was “not required”..The Bench, however, was not impressed..“If you were so confident, why did you not introduce the VVPAT system on your own? Why did you need a court order for the same? Do you know how much opposition court faced from ECI during the hearing on the introduction of VVPAT?”, CJI Gogoi asked Jain..Gogoi J also said that no institution should be beyond reformation or improvement..“No institution including the judiciary should insulate itself from suggestions and improvements.”.The Court, therefore, ordered the Election Commission of India to file an affidavit setting out reasons as to why physical verification of VVPAT paper trail should not be extended to more than one polling station per assembly segment..The affidavit has to be filed by 4 pm on Thursday. The matter will now be heard on April 1.