No category called 'suspicious voters' in RP Act, can't manipulate EVMs: Law minister
NEW DELHI: There is no category of voters called "suspicious voters" under the Representation of the People (RP) Act, law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Thursday in response to a question in Rajya Sabha.
Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman raised the question whether in the last Lok Sabha elections suspicious voters had also cast their votes. He said there is a lot of speculation about suspicious voters, and alleged that the results can be manipulated on electronic voting machines (EVMs). He asked the minister if the votes were being cast correctly.
"
Election Commission
has informed that there is no category of suspicious voters as per the RP Act," the minister said, and added that EC further informed that "the election results cannot be manipulated on EVMs".
Meghwal said there is no doubt in the fairness and integrity of EVMs which, he said, have stood the test of several elections, public and legal scrutiny over the years. "EC has further informed that in at least 42 petitions against use of EVMs which have been filed before various high courts and Supreme Court, and after going through various aspects of the technological soundness and the administrative safeguards involved in the use of EVMs, the courts have repeatedly held that EVMs are tamper proof, credible and reliable," the minister added.
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He said EC has mentioned that to dispel any apprehension of any kind, EVM-related documents, such as manual on EVM and VVPAT, presentation on EVM, status paper on EVM, legal history of EVMs and VVPATs and FAQs are available in public domain on EC website that anyone can check.
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