What SC has told Election Commission on EVM data

What has the tribunal ordered?

While proceeding a petition by the Association for Democratic Reforms, connected whose plea the tribunal had fixed its April 2024 order, the seat of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta connected Tuesday asked the EC to guarantee that nary information is deleted from the EVMs.

Arguing for ADR, advocator Prashant Bhushan said the EC lone conducts mock polls to verify the EVMs and that what the petitioner wanted was an introspection of the bundle and hardware to cheque for manipulation. The tribunal asked the EC to taxable an affidavit explaining the process followed for checking and verification of EVMs. The adjacent proceeding was fixed for March 3.

What is the EC’s process for checking and verification?

After the tribunal bid successful April 2024, the EC came retired with its SOP for checking and verification successful July that year. The EC besides decided to complaint Rs 40,000 positive GST for each request. As per the Supreme Court order, the candidates who travel 2nd and 3rd successful immoderate constituency tin use for checking and verification of up to 5% of the EVMs and VVPATs per Assembly segment.

The EC’s method SOP states that a mock canvass of up to 1,400 votes per instrumentality volition beryllium conducted and the effect tallied with the VVPAT slips. If the results match, the machines would beryllium considered to person passed the test.

What person the petitioners said?

ADR, an autarkic elections watchdog, has argued that the SOP does not supply for existent verification of the microchips installed successful the EVMs and VVPATs. They had argued that if a campaigner seeks verification, past an technologist should analyse the bundle and hardware of the EVMs.

How has the checking and verification process gone truthful far?

Soon aft the Supreme Court order, the Lok Sabha predetermination results were announced connected June 4 and candidates had 7 days to springiness their requests for checking and verification successful writing.

After that, the process was to commencement aft 45 days, arsenic that is the duration for which the EVMs and VVPATs are stored successful lawsuit determination is an predetermination petition filed challenging immoderate peculiar result. A full of 11 candidates applied for checking and verification of EVMs and VVPATs for the 2024 Lok Sabha and Odisha and Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. The EC said nary mismatch had been recovered during the checking and verification process.

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