In this timely discussion, Advocate Priyadharshni Rahul tackles the "apprehensions" that often surface during election cycles regarding the reliability of EVMs. She emphasizes that EVM technology is essentially "as good as a calculator"—meaning it lacks the internet connectivity or complex memory required for external hacking or tampering. She reminds viewers that the transition to EVMs since 2004 has not only prevented physical "booth capturing" seen in the ballot paper era but has also saved approximately two lakh trees per election cycle.
Advocate Priyadharshni Rahul highlights the Supreme Court's recent stance on the matter, noting that the court rejected the prayer for 100% VVPAT verification as it would take "ages" to count 100 crore votes manually. However, she points out a significant transparency measure: the court has allowed candidates who finish second or third to request a re-count of 5% of VVPAT slips at their own expense, supervised by the original EVM engineers.
A major highlight of her analysis is her critique of political cynicism. She questions the logic of opposition parties that doubt EVMs only in states where they lose, while accepting the same system's results in states like Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, and Kerala where they win. Advocate Priyadharshni Rahul urges citizens to ignore "WhatsApp university" fake news and fulfill their fundamental responsibility to vote, maintaining that a healthy democracy requires faith in its institutional "Checks and Balances". She concludes by calling on the media to act responsibly, as spreading baseless fear undermines the very core of national trust [
0 Comments