VVPAT not mandatory for local body polls, technically not feasible: EC to Bombay HC
Nagpur (PTI): The Maharashtra State Election Commission on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that the use of VVPAT machines was not mandatory for local body polls, and it was also not technically feasible.
The commission filed an affidavit opposing a petition filed by Congress leader Prafulla Gudadhe before the Nagpur bench of the high court, challenging its decision to not use VVPAT in the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra.
Gudadhe in his plea said the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system was essential for a transparent election process.
During the hearing on Wednesday, a bench headed by Justice Anil Kilor sought to know the reason for not using VVPAT machines especially when a Supreme Court judgment said the use of VVPAT was a must.
The commission's lawyer told the court that the SC judgment applied only to the general elections, and not local body polls.
VVPAT machines were not used during the 2017 municipal polls too, he pointed out.
The commission in its affidavit said local body Acts which govern municipal elections do not mandate the use of VVPAT.
There are also issues of technical feasibility of designing and manufacturing a VVPAT machine which can be used for multi-member and multi-post EVMs, it said.
The Parliamentary and Assembly elections are single-member, single-post elections where only one candidate is chosen by a voter, and the EVMs used by the Election Commission are specifically designed for that purpose, the affidavit said.
Village Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations are multi-member, multi-post constituencies, it added.
The bench posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday.
The first round of local body elections in Maharashtra will be held on December 2.
In his petition filed through advocates Pawan Dahat and Nihal Singh Rathod, Gudadhe said if the SEC was not going to use the VVPAT, the polls should be held using ballot papers. VVPAT is an independent system attached to an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), allowing voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended.
The petition urged the HC to direct the SEC to hold the upcoming local body polls through ballot papers or quash the commission's decision to not use VVPAT machines.
He also sought the court to restrain the SEC from using EVMs without VVPAT machines in any election.
The right to vote is a fundamental right and every citizen has the right to know if his or her vote has been rightly cast, the plea said.
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Attack on Indian-flagged merchant ship off Oman coast unacceptable: MEA
New Delhi (PTI): An Indian-flagged commercial vessel has come under attack off the coast of Oman but all its 14 crew members are safe, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
It is not immediately known who carried out the strike on the vessel on Wednesday.
The MEA described the attack as "unacceptable".
"The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted," it said.
"All Indian crew on board are safe and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them," it said.
The MEA said India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.
The vessel was sailing from Somalia and the strike triggered a fire that led to sinking of the vessel, it is learnt.
The crew members were rescued by Oman's Coast Guard and taken to Diba port.
At least two other Indian-flagged ships have been attacked since the war between the US and Iran began on February 28.
The latest attack came amid the fragile security situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
