The top court has fixed a date after six weeks for the final disposal of the petition.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being stored at DC office ahead of Karnataka Assembly polls in Bengaluru on Feb 26, 2018. (Photo: IANS)
The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission of India to file its reply in four weeks on a petition filed by a journalist challenging involvement of private players in checking electronic voting machines (EVMs) before the machines are used in polls.
The top court has fixed a date after six weeks for the final disposal of the petition.
The electronic voting machines have been in the news for long as there have been numerous claims and allegations by the opposition parties, groups, and individuals that they are prone to tampering and hence are not trustworthy, especially with the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019 and three state elections.
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The opposition had, on Friday, held a joint meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi to discuss their future course of action on the EVM tampering issue.
The Congress had taken the lead to raise the EVM issue and asked the opposition leaders to come together to discuss a joint strategy on the issue of EVMs as some parties have been over and over again questioning the efficacy of EVMs and demanding that the Election Commission revert to the ballot paper.
The Congress has also suggested that since there is very less time left for the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission should ensure counting of Voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) in 50 per cent booths across the country to ensure that there is no doubt in the minds of the voters and the parties.
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