"If you delete data, how will truth come to light?": Pramod Tiwari welcomes SC's direction to ECI

"I welcome the Supreme Court's observation on this. There is a dispute, and if you delete the data, how will the truth and facts come to light? It is necessary to leave it in the same state. The SC should call experts to examine what has happened and what possibilities exist; only then can the court arrive at a decision," Tiwari told ANI.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission of India to file its response on the pleas seeking verification of the burnt memory and symbol loading units in EVMs in compliance of its previous judgement.

A special bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta asked the Election Commission to refrain from erasing or reloading data during the verification process.

It asked the poll panel to file its response within 15 days and explain the procedure adopted. The bench posted the matter in the week commencing March 3.

The apex court was hearing pleas seeking a direction to the Election Commission to check and verify burnt memory/micro-controllers and the symbol loading unit (SLU) of electronic voting machines (EVM).

A fresh application filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) stated that the standard operating procedure of the poll panel for verification of the EVMs was not in accordance with the 2024 judgement passed in the EVM-VVPAT case.

It urged the apex court to direct the poll panel to refrain from clearing or deleting the contents of the original burnt memory of EVMs, particularly in cases where verification applications were pending.

In its judgement of April 26, 2024, the apex court had declined the demand for reverting to the old paper ballot system.

Rejecting the pleas to revert back to the paper ballot system the top court had said the polling devices were secured and eliminated booth capturing and bogus voting.

However, it had allowed aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places in election results and allowed them to seek verification of micro-controller chips embedded in 5 per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon payment of a fee to the poll panel. (ANI)