Overview
- The Maharashtra SEC told the Nagpur bench that VVPAT is not legally required for local body elections and is not technically workable with its multi-member, multi-post EVMs.
- The commission cited the absence of VVPAT provisions in local body laws and said any introduction would require legislative amendment, pointing to a 2017 Bombay HC dismissal of a similar plea.
- A 2017 pilot in Nanded-Waghala to pair VVPAT with SEC EVMs was unsuccessful, and the SEC says no approved multi-member VVPAT design exists.
- The SEC said the Election Commission of India refused to lend VVPAT-equipped EVMs for the BMC poll and argued a switch to paper ballots is impractical due to a lack of roughly 100,000 ballot boxes within the court’s timeline.
- Petitioner Prafulla Gudadhe sought VVPAT or paper ballots for transparency and argued local laws reference ballot papers, prompting the court to require a fresh SEC affidavit and to continue hearings.