Days after Congress MP Jairam Ramesh wrote to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar requesting for a meeting of the opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders to raise concerns on VVPATs, the poll body has replied to the Rajya Sabha member saying his letter has “no new assertions” or “reasonable and legitimate doubts” which require further clarification than what is already there in the public domain.
In the nine-page letter, the poll body also said that material made available by ECI in public domain on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), including latest updated FAQs, adequately and comprehensively cover all reasonable and legitimate aspects of use of EVMs in Indian elections.
“The current letter dated December 30, 2023, said to be in sequence of the earlier letters, has no new assertions or reasonable and legitimate doubts which requires further clarifications,” the ECI said.
The poll body also said that current EVMs in use in Indian elections are compliant to the extant legal framework created and strengthened by the successive Union Governments of the day and jurisprudence evolved over more that 40 years by the Constitutional Courts of India. “Anything beyond the existing legal framework and established jurisprudence is beyond the singular domain of the Commission.”
The ECI also listed the number of court cases that worked in the favour of the EVMs, adding that various aspects related to VVPAT are sub-judice in the Supreme Court.
The poll body said that Ramesh’s letter does not mention any specific issues on VVPAT. “Needless to further reiterate that political parties and candidates are associated at every stage of handling of EVMs, starting from FLC (First level checking), storage, movement, training. randomisation, commissioning, mock polls, start of poll, close of poll, and counting,” the letter added.
It went on to say that it is beyond any explanation that out of context references are being made to other countries and their constitutional courts about use of EVMs in elections.
The letter, written by Principal Secretary Pramod Kumar Sharma, concluded by saying the ECI has full faith in the use of EVMs in elections. “Based on the outcomes of the elections conducted using EVMs, legal framework, established jurisprudence, technical security and administrative safeguards, the Commission has full faith in use of EVMs in election,” it said.
WHAT RAMESH SAID IN THE LETTER?
In his letter to Kumar, Ramesh wrote on December 20 that leaders from I.N.D.I.A. parties have requested an appointment with the ECI to discuss and provide suggestions on the use of VVPATs based on a resolution passed at a meeting of leaders of the bloc held on December 19.
He said that they have been trying to meet with the ECI to hand over a copy of the resolution and discuss. “I once again make a request for an opportunity for a three-four member team of I.N.D.I.A. party leaders to meet with you and your colleagues and take a few minutes to put forward our point of view on VVPATS,” Ramesh wrote.
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