On Tuesday, the Gujarat High Courtdismissed a lawyer's petition raising apprehensions over malfunctioning and tamperability of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Advocate Khemchand Rajaram Koshti approached the High Court, challenging Rule 56 (D) (2) of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, insofar as it vested discretion in the Returning Officer to reject an application for counting of...
On Tuesday, the Gujarat High Courtdismissed a lawyer's petition raising apprehensions over malfunctioning and tamperability of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Advocate Khemchand Rajaram Koshti approached the High Court, challenging Rule 56 (D) (2) of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, insofar as it vested discretion in the Returning Officer to reject an application for counting of the printed paper slips in the drop-box of the Printer. Direction to the ECI to ensure mandatory counting of those printed paper slips was also sought by Advocate Khemchand Rajaram Koshti. The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Anant S. Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav, in a detailed judgement, observed that apprehensions of malfunction and tamperability of EVMs were completely unfounded and unjustified.
The court added that unlike in the use of ballot paper, EVMs had made voting much simpler and voter friendly.