The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea seeking reintroduction of the old system of voting through ballot papers in the country. He also made a strong comment against this attitude of the leaders. The court said that electronic voting machines (EVMs) are tampered with only when people lose. A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice PB Varale heard the petition.
‘…then EVMs are not tampered with’
The bench commented on the matter, “What happens is that when you win an election, EVMs are not tampered with. When you lose an election, EVMs are tampered with.” The petition also requested some guidelines other than voting by ballot paper. In his petition, the petitioner requested the Election Commission to direct that a candidate be disqualified for at least 5 years if he is found guilty of distributing money, liquor or any other greedy items to voters during elections. This petition was filed by the petitioner named KA Paul.
Where do you get these great ideas?
While hearing the case, the bench said, “You have an interesting PIL. Where do you get these brilliant ideas?” The petitioner told the court that he is the president of an organization which has rescued more than 3 lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows. Court replied, “Why are you coming into this political field? Your work is totally different from this field.” After this, when Paul said that he had traveled to more than 150 countries, the court asked him whether voting was done by ballot paper or electronic voting was used in these countries. To this Paul said that other countries have adopted the process of voting through ballot paper and India should do the same.
Why don’t you want to be separated from the world?
After this the Supreme Court said, why don’t you want to be separated from the rest of the world? In response to which Paul said that there has been corruption and in June of this year i.e. 2024, the Election Commission informed that they have confiscated 9 thousand crore rupees. The court then said, “But how does that make you right? If the country goes back to voting, won’t there be corruption?”
“We have never received money for any election”
Further, petitioner Paul claimed that Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk has said that EVMs can be tampered with. He said Andhra Pradesh CM and Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and former state chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy have also claimed that EVMs could be tampered with.
On this the bench said, “When Chandrababu Naidu lost he said that EVMs can be tampered with. Now this time Jagan Mohan Reddy has lost, he has said that EVMs can be tampered with.” Paul went on to say that everyone knew that money was distributed in elections and the bench remarked, “We have never received money for any election.”
(Input- PTI)
Also Read:
‘Today this day was celebrated for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir’, PM Modi said in the Supreme Court on Constitution Day.
Latest India News