'EVMs are not tampered when you win elections?': SC to petitioner seeking ballot paper voting

"How do you get these brilliant ideas?" the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale asked petitioner K.A. Paul, as they rejected his arguments, reported NDTV.

During the hearing, Paul claimed that prominent political leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had raised concerns about Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering.

The bench responded sharply, saying parties don’t raise concerns over EVMs when they win elections.

"If you win the elections, EVMs or voting machines are not tampered. But when you lose, they suddenly become the issue. How can we see this?" the court responded sharply.

The court said that it was not the right forum for such grievances and dismissed the plea.

Paul, who leads an organization that has reportedly rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows, had also sought a directive to disqualify candidates found guilty of distributing money, liquor, or other inducements during elections.

The court advised Paul to focus on his area of social work instead of entering the political domain.

Arguing further, Paul said that India should emulate countries like the United States, which rely on paper ballots, asserting that EVMs pose a threat to democracy.

He even referenced Elon Musk, claiming the entrepreneur had expressed concerns over EVM tampering.

The bench, however, questioned why Paul was resistant to India’s distinct electoral system. "Why don't you want to be different from the rest of the world?" it asked.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, during the October announcement of poll dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand, reiterated the reliability and robustness of EVMs.

Addressing repeated allegations of tampering, Kumar asked critics to present a comparative example of a more transparent electoral process.

"It can't be that when results don't go your way, you start raising questions," he said, emphasizing the extensive public disclosure and participation involved in India's election system.