HC reserves order on a plea to modify EVM or reject it

January 10 2011(New Delhi):

The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on a plea to either incorporate paper trail to physically record the votes cast through the electronic voting machine or return to old days of paper balloting, rejecting EVMs.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, reserved its order on the plea by Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy after hearing arguments by him as well as those of Election Commission counsel Ashok Desai.

Swamy argued that the Election Commission of India should return to the ballot system to avoid tampering as there is lack of transparency in the EVMs at the time of polls.

He argued either paper printouts should be incorporated in EVMs by the Commission at the time of polls or it should return to the ballot paper system as the EVMs are not tamper proof.

He argued the EVM does not have international status and European countries like UK, US and Japan have rejected them due to its failure and they prefer paper ballot for their elections.

Seeking the court to direct the Commission to return to the ballot system, Swamy also argued the EVM''s brain - micro controller - is being manufactured in foreign countries like Japan, which themselves do not use the machine due to its demerits.

Appearing for the EC, Desai, however, contended that the returning to the days of voting through ballot system would not be feasible as it would require immense expenditure due to over 73 crore voters in India.

Source : MSN