The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by evangelist KA Paul, which called for the reintroduction of physical paper ballots in elections in India.
The petition raised concerns over the potential tampering of Electronic Voting Machines, suggesting that India should follow the example of countries like the United States that use paper ballots.
The plea was heard by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale. During the hearing, the petitioner referred to statements by political leaders, including Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had questioned the integrity of EVMs, particularly when they lost elections.
The bench responded by noting that these leaders did not raise concerns about EVM tampering when they won elections, saying, “When they win, EVMs are not tampered with. When they lose, they say they are. How can we entertain this? We are dismissing this.”
Paul argued that EVMs posed a threat to democracy, and mentioned concerns voiced by prominent figures such as Elon Musk regarding the possibility of EVM tampering.
In addition to seeking a return to paper ballots, Paul also requested the Election Commission be directed to disqualify candidates for 5 years if found guilty of distributing inducements like money or liquor during elections.
The bench ultimately dismissed the plea, ruling that the issues raised were not appropriate for consideration in this case.
