New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected a plea against the use of EVMs in polls reportedly without assigning any reasons. A bench of acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedea dismissed the appeal by Ramesh Chander challenging an order of the single judge observing it had no merit.
The single judge last year dismissed the petitioner's plea seeking directions to the Election Commission of India to comply with the mandate of Section 61-A of the Representation of People Act, 1951 before conducting any election through electronic voting machines (EVMs) by assigning specific reasons for its use for each constituency.
The bench observed the legal provisions allowed the commission to use the electronic machines to record votes and the constituencies where such EVMs were required to be adopted were also specified by the body. "We find no merit in the present appeal. Dismissed," it said.
While dismissing the petition on July 22 last year, the single judge said the issue with respect to the use of EVMs stood covered by the decisions of the Supreme Court and high courts. The single judge observed the petitioner failed to raise any "material ground" to warrant any extensive indulgence by the court. It noted the top court had also dismissed a plea to revert to the paper ballot system.
