On Monday, the Supreme Court opted not to entertain a plea requesting a directive for full manual verification of VVPAT slips in addition to the electronic vote counting process. The petition sought a deeper audit to ensure comprehensive vote validation.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna dismissed the plea from Hans Raj Jain, who challenged the August 2024 ruling by the Delhi High Court. The bench noted the absence of substantial grounds for revisiting the high court’s decision.

The apex court underscored that EVMs remain secure and reliable, and Jenkins’s plea, seeking complete cross-verification with VVPAT records, provides no new arguments that the courts haven’t addressed before.

(With inputs from agencies.)