The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed, with a cost of ₹10,000, a petition seeking direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to stop the use of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and instead return to ballot paper.
A bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh rejected the petition filed by advocate C.R. Jaya Sukin saying it was akin to a “publicity interest litigation”.
The bench said the petition was filed without doing any research on the working of the EVMs and lacked material to justify the plea. It said the EVMs were approved by the ECI and Parliament.
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The court pointed out that Mr. Sukin’s plea relied on four documents — one of which was a news item, and the other was his representation on the issue and pleas before the Supreme Court.
The High Court, however, said Mr. Sukin may approach it again after conducting research and making proper averments.
Mr. Sukin argued that “to save democracy, we must introduce the ballot paper system back in the electoral process”. He said EVMs have replaced the old ballot paper system though many countries including England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. have banned their use.
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He said voting through ballot papers is a more reliable and transparent method.
“EVMs can be hacked. But the ballot system is extremely safe,” the petition reads.