The Supreme Court today served a notice to the Election Commission on a complaint filed seeking an investigation into the efficacy and accuracy of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) that some politicians recently said can be “easily manipulated.”
The top court however refused to grant the petitioner’s request to issue a notice to the CBI on the same issue. ML Sharma, the petitioner, had filed the petition after BSP leader Mayawati and then AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal raised questions about EVMs, saying their parties suffered big defeats in UP and Punjab, respectively, because of these machines that had been “tampered with”.
Mayawati said the machines recorded votes in favour of the BJP irrespective of what button was pressed by voters. The charge was echoed by former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, who lost from both the seats he contested. Former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav – who also lost in Punjab – said that Mayawati’s doubts about EVMs need to be investigated.
The EC rejected accusations that EVMs can be meddled with.
“Although the Commission has offered opportunities more than once to those alleging the tamperibility of EVM, no one has been able to demonstrate to the Commission that the EVM used in the country’s election process, can be tampered with,” the EC said in its reply to a BSP’s letter earlier this month.
Full Article: Election Commission served notice by top court on efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines | India News – Times of India.