http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/hack-evm-election-commission-throws-open-challenge/1/927400.html
Hack an EVM challenge: Election Commission dares anyone to tamper voting device successfully
From
the first week of May, experts, scientists, technocrats or anyone else
can go to the Election Commission for a week or 10 days and try to hack
the EVMs.
IndiaToday.in | Posted by Nikhil Agarwal
New Delhi, April 12, 2017 | UPDATED 20:02 IST
http://supremecourtofindia.nic.in/outtoday/9093.pdf
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REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NO.9093 OF 2013
(Arising out of SLP (Civil) No. 13735 of 2012)
Dr. Subramanian Swamy
…. Appellant(s)
Versus
Election Commission of India
…. Respondent(s)
WITH
WRIT PETITION (C) NO. 406 OF 2012
J U D G M E N T
β¦.EVMs, like all electronic equipments, are open to hacking.
β¦β¦At present, a voter presses a button only but cannot
ascertain the actual voting. He is not sure whether his vote
is recorded or not, if recorded, whether it is recorded in
favour of the person to whom it was intended or not.
Whether it is valid or invalid and whether it is counted or not.
It is submitted by the petitioner that unless and until answers
to these questions are personally seen by the voter, it cannot
be said that voting is made by him because βpressing a
button of choice and getting flashed the red-lightβ is not
actual voting in real sense unless the voter knows well that
what has happened in consequence of pressing a button of
his choice from the EVMs.
Stand of the Election Commission of India:
β¦.. It was also informed to this Court
that the ECI has been exploring the possibility of
incorporating a viable Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail
(VVPAT) system as a part of the presently used EVMs to
make the election system more transparent.Further, it was
brought to our notice that the ECI conducted field trials for
VVPAT system earlier also but the same had not been
successful and were discontinued.
Referring to Section 61A of the Representation of the
People Act, 1951, it is submitted that the Statute itself
provides for recording of votes by EVMs and the ECI has been
given the discretion to prescribe recording of votes by such
EVMs as it may deem fit. This discretion has to be exercised
in a manner to preserve the sanctity of the election process
and ensure that the election is conducted in a free and fair manner.
The ECI … also in the process
of exploring to incorporate VVPAT system which is
compatible with the present EVMs used by it.
From the materials placed by the ECI, it is noted that
the purchase order has been placed with M/s BEL and M/s
ECIL for supplying 150 and 300 VVPAT units respectively at
Rs. 16,200/- per unit excluding excise duty, sales tax and
transportation etc. costing Rs. 72,90,000/- (approx.). The ECI
has also highlighted that if the VVPAT systems are ultimately
to be used with all the 13 lakh EVMs available, the total cost
in the purchase of VVPAT units may come to about Rs. 1,690
crores, taking into account the possible reduction in the cost
per unit due to bulk production the cost may come to Rs.
13,000/- per unit approximately.
β¦..vote is nothing but an act of
expression which has immense importance in democratic
system.
In the light of the above discussion and taking notice of
the pragmatic and reasonable approach of the ECI and
considering the fact that in general elections all over India,
the ECI has to handle one million (ten lakhs) polling booths,
we permit the ECI to introduce the same in gradual stages or
geographical-wise in the ensuing general elections. The
area, State or actual booth(s) are to be decided by the ECI
and the ECI is free to implement the same in a phased
manner.
For implementation of such a system (VVPAT) in a
phased manner, the Government of India is directed to
provide required financial assistance for procurement of units
of VVPAT.
The
ex CJI P Sathasivam committed a grave error of judgement by ordering
that ECI was free to implement is a phased manner. In 2014 Lok Sabha
elections only 8 out of 543 seats were replaced. Subsequently in all the
Assembly Elections just a small fraction of EVMs were replaced. In UP
Assembly only in 20 constituencies they were replaced.
In the
first place why should Rs 3100 crores crores be wasted to procure VVPAT
that too in a phased manner ? The ex CJI never ordered for using Ballot
papers instead which is being followed in almost all the democracies of
the world.
But the Election Commission dares anyone to tamper voting device successfully
From
the first week of May, experts, scientists, technocrats or anyone else
can go to the Election Commission for a week or 10 days and try to hack
the EVMs.
IN A letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi four months ago, the
Election Commission sought urgent release of funds to procure enough
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines to cover all polling
stations ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/letters-for-2-years-sos-to-pm-ec-still-awaits-evm-papertrail-funds-4575546/
Letters for 2 years, SOS to PM, Election Commission still awaits EVM
papertrail funds
VVPAT machines produce a printout of the vote cast using an EVM, which
can be shown to the voter to dispel any doubts.
Written by Ritika Chopra | New Delhi | Published:March 19, 2017 5:41 am
IN A letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi four months ago, the
Election Commission sought urgent release of funds to procure enough
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines to cover all polling
stations ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The EC has
sent over 10 reminders to the government on the matter, since June
2014, and the letter to Modi by Chief Election Commissioner Nasim
Zaidi, on October 25, 2016, was an SOS of sorts. The CEC very rarely
writes directly to the PM, with its communication to the government on
electoral matters normally limited to Law and Home ministries.
Several parties, including the BSP, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi
Party, have raised doubts about tampering of EVMs following the Uttar
Pradesh and Uttarakhand results. Before the 2014 general elections,
the BJP had talked of EVM tampering on many occasions.
VVPAT machines produce a printout of the vote cast using an EVM, which
can be shown to the voter to dispel any doubts. This printout is then
deposited in a box and can be used to resolve any dispute regarding
the election. In 2013, the Supreme Court had ordered the EC to
implement the VVPAT system in a phased manner, and the commission had
committed to have it in place by the time of the 2019 general
elections.
The EC has been writing to the Law Ministry (its parent ministry) for
funds to purchase approximately 16 lakh VVPATs, for which it needs Rs
3,100 crore.
In his letter to Modi, Zaidi wrote, βIβm writing to draw your kind
attention to the crisis that may occur during the next General
Election to Lok Sabha in 2019, if required numbers of replacement
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and new Voter Verified Paper Audit
Trail (VVPAT) are not produced in time by Bharat Electronics Limited
(BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), the two
defence PSUs.β
He further wrote, βI would like to bring to your notice that
Commission submitted its first proposal to the government of India in
Ministry of Law & Justice on 16th June, 2014 for the required budget
and sanction for EVMs and VVPATs and has pursued the matter
continuously since then.
βThere are already two contempt petitions against me and the
Commission being heard by Honβble Supreme Court for not deploying
VVPATs in adequate number. The production of VVPAT is held up for want
of sanction of funds. Hence I would request your good self to kindly
look into the matter and advise concerned ministries for release of
necessary funds & sanctions for VVPAT most urgently.β
The Sunday Express has learnt that on July 20, 2016, the Union Cabinet
had at a meeting considered the procurement of VVPATs, but it was
decided that the EC should be asked to explore the feasibility of
roping in private manufacturers as BEL and ECIL have limited capacity.
The EC later turned down the suggestion citing βsensitivity of the
jobβ. In December 2016, the poll panel recommended two other PSUs,
namely Indian Telecom Industry in Bangalore and Central Electronics
limited in Ghaziabad, to enhance production capacity.
On January 10, 2017, Zaidi wrote to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad,
warning that if orders for VVPATs were not placed by February,
manufacturers would not be able to supply the machines by September
2018.
During a recent hearing on the contempt petition against the CEC on
the matter, the EC told the Supreme Court that it needed 30 months to
procure close to 16 lakh paper trail machines. This means that unless
it ropes in more manufacturers, the poll panel would miss the 2019
deadline to equip all polling stations with VVPATs.
Following the results in Uttar Pradesh, BSP chief Mayawati, who was
decimated in the elections, sought a repoll with paper ballots. AAP
leader Arvind Kejriwal later blamed his partyβs loss in Punjab on EVM
tampering and asked the EC to tally his partyβs EVM votes with the
VVPATs installed across 30 seats. The Congressβs losing Uttarakhand
CM, Harish Rawat, too has attributed the BJPβs victory to βEVM
chamatkar (EVM magic)β.
While the EC has rejected all such allegations and reaffirmed its
faith in EVMs, in an interview to NDTV news channel on Friday, Zaidi
acknowledged that VVPATs would be a βgame changerβ, which would
βdouble and treble the voterβs confidence in EVMsβ.
The poll panel needs 16,15,066 VVPATs by 2019, when the Lok Sabha
elections would be held simultaneously with state elections in Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Haryana. One machine costs Rs 19,650. The poll panel already has about
20,000 units and has placed order for another 67,000 VVPATs, of which
half have been delivered.
β
Peace Is Doable