Overview

• A division bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela declined to entertain petitioner Upendra Nath Dalai’s public interest plea.
• The judges cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Association for Democratic Reforms v. Union of India, which upheld the integrity of EVMs and recognized VVPAT as strengthening verifiability.
• The bench also referred to a January 21 coordinate bench decision that had dismissed a similar challenge to EVM use in general elections.
• The Union of India was represented by Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, the Election Commission by advocate Suruchi Suri, and the petitioner appeared in person.
• The case, titled Upendra Nath Dalai v. Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India & Anr, sought directions to conduct general elections using paper ballots rather than EVMs.