DMK seeks direction from HC not to place VVPAT in between ballot unit and control unit
DMK's organizing secretary RS Bharathi filed a writ petition in HC seeking to direct the ECI not to place the printer between the balloting unit and the control unit as done in the third-generation electronic voting machine.
DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin waving at the gathering at Dharmapuri public meeting
CHENNAI: DMK approached the Madras High Court challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) by placing the printer machine (VVPAT) in between the balloting unit and the control unit, as it is in contradiction with the conduct of election rules, 1961.
DMK's organizing secretary RS Bharathi filed a writ petition in HC seeking to direct the ECI not to place the printer between the balloting unit and the control unit as done in the third-generation electronic voting machine.
The petition also sought to issue guidelines under Rule 95 of the conduct of Election rules, 1961, laying down the procedure to be followed for approval of E-voting machines.
The printer is placed in the middle of the ballot unit and the control unit paves the way for the output of the printer (VVPAT) to flow to the control Unit. This opens a myriad of technical possibilities to corrupt the integrity of the data that is fed to the control unit from the balloting unit, said the petition. The 1961 rules mandate that the balloting unit and the control unit of the E-voting machine have to be placed in direct contact with each other and not allow the printer to be in direct connection with the control unit, said the petition.
A lot of concerns have been raised about the use of E-voting machines and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) printers by all sections of society.
The proper and transparent functioning of E-voting machines is central to the substantive fairness in the conduct of free and fair elections, if the transparency lacks it casts a shadow on democracy, said the petition.