Vinay Karanam The Supreme Court of India is currently deliberating on the use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) in elections. During the hearing, the court raised concerns about the secret ballot voting method and highlighted past issues with ballot papers. Justice Sanjiv Khanna, one of the justices, remarked, “We are in our 60s. We all know what happened when there were ballot papers, you may have, but we have not forgotten.” This statement underscores the historical challenges associated with paper ballots12.
The case, filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and activist Arun Kumar Agarwal, seeks comprehensive cross-verification of all VVPAT slips to instill confidence among voters. The petitioners argue that such verification is essential to ensure that every vote is accurately recorded and counted. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan emphasized discrepancies in VVPAT usage and stressed the importance of robust verification procedures to uphold the integrity of the electoral process. Bhushan suggested two options: either returning to paper ballots or providing VVPAT slips directly to voters1.
Justice Khanna acknowledged that machines without human intervention generally provide accurate results. However, problems arise when there is unauthorized human intervention or changes. Bhushan also highlighted research on the possibility of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He pointed out that currently, only five VVPAT machines per assembly are counted, even though there are 200 such machines. Additionally, the seven-second light in VVPATs can potentially lead to manipulation1.
The court’s decision will significantly impact future elections in India, as it balances technology with the need for a foolproof voting system13.
