CHENNAI: The Election Commission on Tuesday submitted before the Madras High Court that electronic voting machines (EVMs) cannot be tampered by any Wi-Fi or other devices. The issue pertains to DMK’s RS Bharathi moving a plea seeking to provide CCTV live coverage, live web-stream during voting in all the booths, and to install jammers at the strong rooms where EVMs are stored, and at counting centres, and to direct Returning Officers to count at least 50 per cent of VVPATS, simultaneously.
DMK’s senior counsel, P Wilson, arguing for the petitioner, raised apprehensions on the live webcast and VVPAT machines that were being provided in five per cent of the booths in each constituency. The ECI submitted that CCTV coverage and webcasting will be there for 100 per cent of critical or vulnerable polling stations. Nearly 44,000 stations would have such monitoring, covering at least 50 per cent booths across the State, he added. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy recording the submissions from the Election commision of India, disposed of the plea.