New Delhi, Jan 23 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal challenging the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections, stating that the petitioner’s arguments lacked merit.
A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela ruled, “We find no merit in the present appeal, and the same is dismissed.”
The petitioner had argued that Section 61-A of the Representation of the People Act requires the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide specific justifications for employing EVMs in individual constituencies before conducting elections. He insisted that the ECI must evaluate the necessity of EVM usage based on the unique circumstances of each constituency and offer detailed explanations.
The ECI countered the argument, stating that it had already issued directives specifying the constituencies where EVMs would be employed, and these directives had been placed on record. The court concurred, noting that Section 61-A grants the ECI discretion to implement EVMs without requiring justifications for each constituency.
The bench rejected the petitioner’s interpretation of the law, observing, “We find no substantial grounds for further intervention.”
The court referred to a similar plea dismissed in July 2024 by a bench led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, which ruled that the matter had already been settled through prior judicial decisions.
The petitioner, Ramesh Chander, expressed concerns over the lack of detailed reasoning behind the deployment of EVMs in individual constituencies. However, the court found these concerns unsubstantiated and dismissed the appeal.
