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Matching VVPAT Slips With EVMs: Supreme Court Dismisses Review Plea Of 21 Opposition Leaders

The plea was filed by opposition leaders led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

A polling official, left, instructs voters how to use the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). (Photographer: Pankaj Nangia/Bloomberg News)
A polling official, left, instructs voters how to use the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). (Photographer: Pankaj Nangia/Bloomberg News)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea filed by 21 opposition leaders seeking review of its April 8 order regarding the matching of voter verifiable paper audit trail slips with electronic voting machines.

The initial order had directed the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment - a number that the opposition wants to increase.

"We are not inclined to modify our order," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said today.

The plea was filed by opposition leaders led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for petitioners, told the bench that the apex court had increased the random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment and they are now seeking that it should be increased to 25 percent at least.

“It will be for the satisfaction of confidence building measures,” Singhvi tod the bench also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.

Singhvi said the present increase of random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment amounted to a meagre 2 percent and petitioners are seeking that it be raised to 25 percent at least.