SC directs ECI to consider Telangana philanthropist’s plea for time-stamped VVPAT slips

BHADRADRI KOTHAGUDEM (Telangana): A philanthropist, Nalla Suresh Reddy, based at Paloncha in Kothagudem district, has raised a significant debate over accountability and auditability of the electoral process by submitting to the Supreme Court that the absence of exact time-stamping on VVPAT slips leaves a significant audit gap.

Form 17A records voter participation; Form 17C records the account of votes; the Control Unit records vote totals; and the VVPAT slips evidence of the voter’s selected candidate. Yet, where a dispute concerns the timing, sequence, late-hour surge, complaint window, booth-level abnormality or post-poll discrepancy, the physical paper trail itself remains silent on the exact time at which the vote was cast and recorded. A time-stamped slip would enable lawful verification without disclosing voter identity, the petitioner noted.

Suresh Reddy stated that he has approached the Supreme Court through a public interest petition seeking to record the exact time and date of the vote on Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips to enhance electoral transparency. He noted that the petition was not a politically motivated, but was aimed at ensuring a truly free and fair election process.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed the Supreme Court Registry to forward the petition and entire case records filed by Suresh Reddy to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to treat the petition as a representation for consideration.

Suresh Reddy informed that he would submit a representation to the Election Commission along with the Supreme Court directive in a couple of days after consulting the legal team. Suresh Reddy referred to instances of significant last-minute voter turnout in previous elections and argued that printing the exact time on VVPAT slips would improve transparency and help to audit the electoral process.

The court observed that while the issue raised by the petitioner pertained to electoral integrity, the specific relief sought involved questions of technical feasibility and it falls under the domain of the Election Commission. (ANI)