‘When you win, EVMs are not tampered with’: Supreme Court rubbishes claim to demand election through paper ballot

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea to reintroduce paper ballots in elections, arguing that allegations of electronic voting machine (EVM) tampering usually arise only when candidates lose.

During the hearing, a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale said: “What happens is that when you win the election, EVMs are not tampered with. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered with.”

The plea filed by petitioner KA Paul also sought a direction to disqualify candidates found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other inducements to voters for at least five years. Responding to Paul’s allegations, the bench asked: “You have interesting PILs. How do you come up with these great ideas?”

Paul, who heads an organization that has reportedly saved over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows, expressed concern over corruption in elections. However, the panel questioned his involvement in political matters and asked: “Why are you entering this political arena? Your field of work is very different.”

The petitioner argued that foreign countries use paper ballots and suggested that India should do the same. The bench says, “Why don’t you want to be different from the rest of the world?” he replied. Paul claimed that a return to paper ballots could reduce corruption, citing the Electoral Commission’s seizure of R9,000 million in June 2024.

The court rejected this claim and said: “If you go back to physical voting, won’t there be corruption?” Paul also said that Elon Musk and political leaders like TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy have expressed concerns over EVM tampering.

“When Chandrababu Naidu lost, he said that EVMs can be tampered with. Now this time Jagan Mohan Reddy lost, he said that EVMs can be tampered with,” the bench said.

The petitioner also emphasized the need for a comprehensive framework to curb the use of money and liquor in election campaigns and called for voter education to raise awareness about informed decision-making. “Today, 32 percent of educated people do not vote. What a tragedy,” Paul said.

Earlier, in April, the SC had rejected similar demands to return to paper ballots, terming suspicions of EVM tampering as “unfounded” and arguing that the devices improve security by eliminating booth hijacking and fraudulent voting.

Concerns over EVMs have resurfaced following the landslide victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Opposition leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which is expected to win the assembly elections, alleged that there were irregularities in the EVMs. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called for the elections to be held through paper ballot paper, citing doubts regarding EVMs. “Any technology can be hacked, and even Elon Musk said this,” Sukhu said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut demanded re-election, alleging irregularities and faulty EVMs. “We received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite our repeated objections, no action was taken. How can we say that these elections were held fairly?” he asked.

Raut cited examples of inconsistencies, including a candidate in Nashik reportedly receiving only four votes despite having 65 family members. He also noted unexplained landslide victories in some constituencies and expressed doubts that candidates who had recently switched parties were winning by significant margins.

(With inputs from PTI)