New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission (EC) to respond within 15 days to a plea by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking verification of EVM burnt memory and symbol loading units. The court emphasized, “Do not erase the data; let someone examine it.”
ADR, represented by Advocate Prashant Bhushan, urged the court to ensure the EC’s procedures align with the Supreme Court’s guidelines, including checks for potential manipulation in EVM software and hardware. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna questioned whether paper trails would remain post-counting, to which Bhushan affirmed they should be preserved.
The court clarified its intent was not to disrupt the counting process but to address doubts about EVM integrity. The EC must file its response by the stipulated deadline.