The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed AAP leader Somnath Bharti’s plea for access to the burnt memory of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the New Delhi constituency during the Lok Sabha elections. However, the court has directed that all Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips be preserved according to the Election Commission of India (ECI) procedures.
Justice Manmeet PS Arora clarified the court’s stance, stating that there is no necessity to retain the EVMs considering other forthcoming elections, and thus the request to access the EVMs’ data was denied. The decision allows the returning officer to utilize the EVMs for upcoming elections, freeing up resources that would otherwise remain locked due to litigation.
The court also ensured that while the EVMs could be repurposed, the VVPAT paper slips must be extracted from their respective drop boxes, securely stored in paper envelopes, and preserved until further notice. This measure aims to maintain transparency and integrity in the electoral process, allowing for potential scrutiny during the ongoing legal challenge.
Bharti’s petition had contested the legitimacy of BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj’s election to the New Delhi seat, citing alleged corrupt practices. Despite the denial of his request for the EVM data, the preservation of VVPAT slips serves as a critical aspect of his challenge, potentially providing evidence in his claims against the election’s conduct.
The court’s proceedings have also addressed allegations against other political figures, such as former AAP minister Raaj Kumar Anand, who switched affiliations to the BJP post-election. The dispute over electoral malpractice includes accusations that polling agents used inappropriate methods to influence voters, a claim that remains part of the broader legal review.
