Information panel expresses ‘severe displeasure’ to poll body for not replying to RTI query on EVMs

The Central Information Commission expressed its “severe displeasure” to the Election Commission after the poll body did not respond to a Right to Information plea asking about steps taken to ensure the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail, or VVPAT, slips, reported PTI on Friday.

The Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail is a machine that prints a paper slip with the candidate’s name, serial number and the party’s symbol after a vote has been cast. To avoid election fraud, it displays the paper slip for seven seconds so that voters can check to see if their ballot was cast for their chosen candidate.

The paper slip then drops down into a locked compartment that only polling agents can access. The slips are not handed over to the voters. The collected slips can be used to audit voting data stored electronically.

On May 2, 2022, a group of eminent citizens, including professors and former bureaucrats, had sent a representation to the Election Commission asking questions about the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines and VVPATs, according to PTI.

Former Indian Administrative Service officer MG Devasahayam, who was one of the signatories to the representation, had filed an application with the poll panel under the Right to Information...

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