SC dismisses PIL seeking independent audit of source code of EVMs

Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking an audit of the software used in electronic voting machines used by the Election Commission

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking an audit of the software used in electronic voting machines (EVMs) used by the Election Commission.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said no actionable material that the poll panel “acted in breach of constitutional mandate” in holding polls has been placed before it.

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“The Election Commission is entrusted with the control over elections. Presently, the petitioner places no actionable material before this court to show that the poll panel has acted in breach of its constitutional mandate. There is no material before us which casts doubt on EVMs,” the bench said.

Before filing the petition, PIL petitioner Sunil Ahya had made representations to the Election Commission seeking an independent audit of the source code of the EVMs.

“The source code is the brain behind the EVM and it is about survival of democracy,” Ahya said.