A lawyer based in Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Election Commission of India to ensure the safety and security of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the post-poll period..M Srinivasan, who is an advocate and the President of the Tamil Nadu Annal Ambedkar Law Association, has sought for the EVMS to be protected by the Election Commission against any possible tampering during the period between the end of casting of votes and their counting..It is submitted that the first phase of voting in the General Elections this year has cast a doubt in the minds of the general public about the “foolproof functioning of the EVMs”. The petitioner cites the Press Conference held by various opposition leaders on April 14 to back his claim..Further, the petitioner also raises apprehensions about the impartial functioning of the Election Commission..“The only statutory and administrative check available to protect and preserve the confidence in the EVM’S was in the hands of Election Commission of India but what is the ground reality is the very impartial functioning of Election Commission of India is at stake.”.To buttress this claim, the petitioner has placed reliance on news articles pertaining to a letter written to the President of India by over 60 bureaucrats and ambassadors where the impartial functioning of the Election Commission has been questioned. In that letter, the signatories have also expressed “their deepest anguish on the all time low weak knee conduct of Election Commission of India.”.Thus, the petitioner has expressed his apprehension as regards the possibility of EVMs being tampered in the post-poll period. The number of days between the polling and the date of counting of votes is high, further adding to petitioner’s apprehensions..The petitioner has thus prayed for the Supreme Court to issue directions to the Election Commission to ensure that the EVMs remain safe and secure and are not tampered with during this period..Bar & Bench is available on WhatsApp. For real-time updates on stories, Click here to subscribe to our WhatsApp.
A lawyer based in Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Election Commission of India to ensure the safety and security of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the post-poll period..M Srinivasan, who is an advocate and the President of the Tamil Nadu Annal Ambedkar Law Association, has sought for the EVMS to be protected by the Election Commission against any possible tampering during the period between the end of casting of votes and their counting..It is submitted that the first phase of voting in the General Elections this year has cast a doubt in the minds of the general public about the “foolproof functioning of the EVMs”. The petitioner cites the Press Conference held by various opposition leaders on April 14 to back his claim..Further, the petitioner also raises apprehensions about the impartial functioning of the Election Commission..“The only statutory and administrative check available to protect and preserve the confidence in the EVM’S was in the hands of Election Commission of India but what is the ground reality is the very impartial functioning of Election Commission of India is at stake.”.To buttress this claim, the petitioner has placed reliance on news articles pertaining to a letter written to the President of India by over 60 bureaucrats and ambassadors where the impartial functioning of the Election Commission has been questioned. In that letter, the signatories have also expressed “their deepest anguish on the all time low weak knee conduct of Election Commission of India.”.Thus, the petitioner has expressed his apprehension as regards the possibility of EVMs being tampered in the post-poll period. The number of days between the polling and the date of counting of votes is high, further adding to petitioner’s apprehensions..The petitioner has thus prayed for the Supreme Court to issue directions to the Election Commission to ensure that the EVMs remain safe and secure and are not tampered with during this period..Bar & Bench is available on WhatsApp. For real-time updates on stories, Click here to subscribe to our WhatsApp.