Supreme Court Dismisses EVM Tampering Petition

The Supreme Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by KA Paul seeking a return to ballot paper voting, questioning his claim that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are prone to tampering. Paul cited examples of leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy questioning EVM reliability, but the court noted that such claims often arise only after election losses, not wins.

Paul also proposed disqualifying candidates for five years if found distributing inducements like money or liquor during elections. The bench, amused by his PILs, questioned why he was entering political matters given his charitable work. Paul argued that EVMs threatened democracy and suggested adopting paper ballots like the United States, citing global figures like Elon Musk expressing similar concerns.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar defended EVMs, emphasizing their security, transparency, and robust design, urging skeptics to compare India’s election processes with others worldwide.