While hearing a petition alleging tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the Vikasnagar constituency, the Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday ordered that the EVMs of the constituency be sealed.
The court ordered that the EVMs pertaining to Vikasnagar be “preserved” and kept in a sealed room. “The process of sealing shall be carried out in the presence of the Judicial Magistrate, Vikasnagar,” the order stated. Former Cabinet Minister and Congress leader Navprabhat had approached the High Court over alleged tampering of EVMs in the Vikasnagar constituency, from where Mr. Navprabhat had contested as the Congress candidate.
On March 11 — the day of counting of votes — Mr. Navprabhat lost to the BJP candidate Munna Singh Chauhan by over 6,418 votes. On Thursday, Justice S. K. Gupta ordered that notices must be served to the State government, the Centre, the EC, among others, over the alleged tampering of EVMs.
According to the order, the respondents would need to file their response within six weeks.
