Supreme Court Bench Led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna to Review Congress Leader's Request for EVM Verification in Haryana Elections
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New Delhi, Dec 19 (NationPress) The Supreme Court is poised to address a petition on Friday submitted by Congress leaders that calls for the verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) employed in the Haryana Assembly elections.
According to the causelist available on the apex court's website, a bench led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna and including Justice Sanjay Kumar will convene on December 20 to consider the plea that requests the Election Commission of India (ECI) to establish a memorandum for the assessment and verification of the original burnt memory/microcontroller from the four components of the EVM.
Recently, a bench consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale expressed that the case should be referred to the same Bench that issued directives regarding EVMs in April of this year.
The Justice Nath-led Bench indicated that the newly filed petition pertains to the interpretation and execution of the prior judgment delivered by the apex court, thus necessitating the registry to present the documents to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), who oversees the roster, to determine if the petition should be placed before the previous Bench.
To enhance the credibility of the electoral process in India, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna (currently CJI) and Dipankar Datta had, in April, directed that the burnt memory/microcontroller in 5 percent of EVMs be inspected for any signs of tampering or alterations upon a formal request from candidates who secured the second and third highest votes in an election.
The apex court mandated that the verification process should be conducted by a team of engineers from the EVM manufacturers, with candidates and their representatives having the option to observe the process.
The latest petition, brought forth by Karan Singh Dalal, a former five-time MLA, asserts that the ECI has failed to provide any methodology for the assessment and verification of the original burnt memory/microcontroller from the four components of the EVM (Control Unit, Ballot Unit, VVPAT, and Symbol Loading Unit) in accordance with the Supreme Court's ruling.
The plea calls for the electoral body to formulate a memorandum for the evaluation of the original burnt memory/microcontroller from the four EVM components, insisting that this process be completed within eight weeks and applicable to the EVM verification forms submitted to the ECI on October 14.
Filed through lawyer Neha Rathi, the petition underscores that the issues raised require an authoritative resolution from the apex court due to their significant public importance and nationwide implications.
"The matter impacts the functionality of democracy in the country and elections taking place in various states, thus necessitating an urgent and authoritative decision," it stated. The lack of a verification process for burnt memory regarding tampering indicates a reluctance from the ECI to allow any scrutiny of the original burnt memory microcontroller, as argued in the petition.
