In this video, The Hindu’s Krishnadas Rajagopal, Sreeparna Chakrabarty, and Aroon Deep discuss the Supreme Court’s recent judgement and the technical nuances surrounding the VVPAT system.
The Supreme Court, on April 26, upheld the electronic voting machine (EVM) system of polling and dismissed a plea to revive paper ballots, stating that “blind distrust” of an institution or system fosters unwarranted skepticism and hampers progress. EVMs were first utilized in 1982 in the Assembly constituency of Paravur, Kerala, in 50 out of 123 booths.
The EVM VVPAT was introduced just six months before the 2014 General Elections. This attachment to the EVM produced a paper slip, enabling voters to verify if their vote was cast correctly.
The VVPAT case has become a focal point of the 2024 general election, igniting debates on the transparency of the electoral process. According to the Election Commission, the VVPAT machine offers a paper trail for voters to confirm that their electronic votes have been accurately recorded, addressing concerns regarding the reliability of EVMs.
Panel: Krishnadas Rajagopal, Sreeparna Chakrabarty, Aroon Deep
Video: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
Production: Shikha Kumari
