Petition cites Elon Musk’s EVM remark for paper ballots in polls, dismissed

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking the use of ballot paper voting in elections instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The plea also called for the disqualification of candidates involved in electoral corruption.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale declined to entertain the arguments.
“When Chandrababu Naidu or Mr Reddy lost, they say that EVMs are tampered with. When they win, they don’t say anything. How can we see this? We are dismissing this,” Justice Nath said, stressing, “This is not the place where you argue all of this,” the bench said.
The petitioner, KA Paul, argued that reintroducing ballot papers was essential to safeguard democracy, citing concerns that EVMs are susceptible to tampering. He also referenced billionaire Elon Musk’s claim that EVMs can be hacked.
“Even political leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and Mr [Jagan Mohan Reddy] Reddy have said that EVM can be tampered with. Even during my global peace summit, Elon Musk had clearly stated that EVM technology can be tampered with,” the petitioner had said.
The PIL also raised broader electoral issues. It urged the implementation of stricter measures in elections, including a five-year disqualification for candidates found distributing money or liquor, backed by a clear policy to curb such malpractices.
Additionally, he advocated for a voter education initiative to enhance participation, a system to thoroughly investigate political party funding, and a framework to prevent violence during elections.
In June this year, Elon Musk sparked a debate by calling for the elimination of voting machines in the US presidential election, citing concerns over their security and claiming they could be hacked. His remarks, coming in the wake of the Lok Sabha elections, drew political reactions in India, as the Opposition have also been raising similar concerns about EVMs.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also weighed in on the discussion, calling voting machines in India a “black box” which no one is allowed to inspect and raising serious concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar countered these claims, asserting that Indian EVMs are custom-designed, isolated devices with no scope for hacking.