Supreme Court examines PIL seeking totalisers to prevent voter identification in EVMs
The Supreme Court sought the Central Government and Election Commission's response on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) advocating for the introduction of 'totalisers' in electronic voting machines (EVMs). Totalisers aggregate votes cast across multiple polling booths to prevent booth-wise voting pattern identification and voter intimidation. While the petitioners argue that totalisers ensure electoral secrecy, the Centre and Election Commission have historically opposed them due to administrative, logistical, and legal challenges in counting processes.
Key Points
- The Supreme Court asked the Centre and EC to respond to a plea for introducing totalisers for EVM vote counting.
- Totalisers combine votes from multiple polling booths to prevent booth-wise voter identification and intimidation.
- The Election Commission and Centre have previously opposed totalisers citing logistical and legal hurdles.
- Petitioners argue that booth-wise disclosure allows candidates to target voters in areas with low support.
Exam Facts
- The PIL was filed by Yogesh Gupta and Imran Khan, seeking totalisers for all 14 polling booths in a constituency.
- Totalisers were developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).
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