sc-reserves-verdict-on-pleas-seeking-cross-verification-of-votes-using-vvpat

Supreme Court of India on Wednesday held its verdict on pleas seeking overall cross-verification of the votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) after taking note of answers to queries it had raised before the Election Commission. 

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta sought answers from an official of the poll panel to five questions related to the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), including whether the microcontrollers fitted in them are reprogrammable or not. 

Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas, who had earlier made a presentation to the court on the functioning of EVMs, was summoned by the bench at 2 PM to answer the queries. 

The bench had said it needs clarification on certain aspects as there was some confusion over the answers given by the EC to 'frequently asked questions' (FAQs) about EVMs. 

"We have some doubts and need clarification and that's why we have listed the matter for directions," the bench said, adding "We don't want to be factually wrong but doubly sure in our findings".