Supreme Court Rejects Opposition Plea To Increase VVPAT Verification

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed the plea filed by 21 Opposition leaders seeking a review of its 8 April order directing the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment. 

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

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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% 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 two per cent and petitioners are seeking that it be raised to 25 per cent at least.