SC seeks EC's response to PIL on access to EVMs, VVPATs
New Delhi, Sep 4: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Election Commission's response to a PIL for restricting the access to EVMs and VVPATs to security-cleared engineers of PSUs ECL and BEL.
A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan was told by petitioner Ashish Goyal about alleged security breaches in the physical handling of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) by unauthorised persons in contravention of the commission's Manual on the issue.
The petitioner sought the setting up of a high-powered committee headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge to inquire whether private persons were permitted to handle EVMs in breach of the Manual on EVMs and VVPAT, 2017, since the Assembly elections in 2014 till date.
Seeking submission of a report in the top court in this regard, the petitioner also demanded a formal inquiry into the antecedents of additional private persons permitted to have physical access to the EVMs during the Uttarakhand Assembly elections last year.
He also sought a direction to the Election Commission to urgently put in place necessary safeguards to ensure that the integrity of the EVMs is not compromised.
Contending that breach in EVMs' integrity posed a threat to the purity of the election process itself, senior counsel Kapil Sibal argued for the petitioner that Chapter 5.4 of the Manual said that the first level of checking of EVMs can be carried out only by authorised engineers of public sector undertakings Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
The petitioner referred to an EC communication dated May 27, 2017, which says that the "... EVMs are not accessible to any unauthorised person at any stage -- before, during or after the polls."
Seeking enforcement of the Manual and the poll panel's 2017 communication, Goyal pleaded that the court issue a direction to the EC to provide a list of ECL and BEL Engineers who get the security clearance to handle these EVMs to all political parties.
The petitioner also sought directions to the Election Commission for the implementation of September 2006 recommendations of an expert committee on design change and precautions pertaining to EVMs before, during and after the elections.
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7 held in election-related violence in Assam: Police
Guwahati, Apr 9 (PTI) Seven people were held in connection with election-related violence at two places in Assam, officials said on Thursday.
Besides, minor clashes also erupted at several polling booths after voting began in the morning, with people suffering minor injuries, they said.
Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Akhilesh Kumar Singh, told PTI that violence took place in Tamulpur and Sivasagar on Wednesday night, hours before polling began for the assembly elections at 7 am.
"We got reports of a clash between two groups at Tamulpur last night. Police reached the spot immediately and tried to control the crowd. When they did not listen, a few rounds were fired in the air to disperse the mob," he said, adding that four people were arrested from the site.
In another incident, two to three members of a political party were attacked in Sivasagar, the IG said.
"We have detained three persons there. The investigation is going on," he said.
Akhil Gogoi, who is seeking re-election from the Sibsagar seat, alleged that BJP nominee Kushal Dowari was behind the incident.
In a series of social media posts, Gogoi claimed two people were injured, and their vehicles were also damaged in the attack.
Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary said a detailed enquiry will reveal the cause of the clash in Tamulpur.
"The situation is normal now. We are monitoring it, and there is enough security presence to avoid any untoward incident," he said.
Polling is underway for the 126-member assembly to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates. It will continue till 5 pm, with May 4 scheduled for the counting of votes.
A number of minor clashes have erupted at several polling stations in Sribhumi, Golaghat and Nagaon districts.
"Most of the clashes took place due to heavy rush, with people fighting over breaking the queue," an official said.
At some polling booths in places like Patharkandi, Merapani and Raha, supporters of ruling and opposition parties clashed, he said.
"However, police were already present in those areas, and the situations were handled instantly. The polling is going on uninterrupted," he added.
The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in power in these elections, while the Congress is looking to reclaim the state it lost a decade ago.
