Call for EVM Verification: Former Minister Petitions Supreme Court

Former Haryana Minister Karan Singh Dalal has petitioned the Supreme Court for a policy to verify Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Dalal and co-petitioner Lakhan Kumar Singla demand a protocol for examining EVM components, arguing the current election commission procedures lack thorough scrutiny. The BJP secured 48 of 90 seats in Haryana's recent elections.

Former Haryana Minister and five-time MLA, Karan Singh Dalal, has filed a petition with the Supreme Court to establish a clear policy regarding the verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The appeal highlights the necessity for compliance with a previous Supreme Court judgement mandating a verification protocol for EVM components, which include the Control Unit, Ballot Unit, VVPAT, and Symbol Loading Unit. Dalal and co-petitioner Lakhan Kumar Singla, who secured the second-highest votes in their constituencies, argue that the Election Commission's current Standard Operating Procedure fails to provide a thorough examination.

According to the petition, the existing procedures only cover rudimentary diagnostic tests and mock polls. The involvement of EVM manufacturers' engineers is limited to counting VVPAT slips, preventing comprehensive scrutinization of the machines' 'burnt memory'. Dalal and Singla assert that this effort aims to ensure the integrity of EVMs, not to contest election results. They urge the Supreme Court to implement this verification measure within eight weeks, citing that the current lack of policy leaves the essential process of burnt memory verification ambiguous.

(With inputs from agencies.)