Calcutta High Court Demands EVM Shortage Report Ahead of Civic Elections

The Calcutta High Court has directed the state election commission to submit a comprehensive report regarding the shortage of electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail machines ahead of elections in seven major civic bodies.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Om Narayan Rai issued the directive on Monday. The court simultaneously raised questions about whether polling data from these machines could be stored separately on hard disks and whether such a practice would comply with legal requirements.

The order comes in the context of existing election petitions where the high court had previously directed the preservation of electronic voting machines. According to senior advocate Sabyasachi Chatterjee, who is representing parties in the case, the state election commission has indicated it requires a modification of the preservation order to move forward with upcoming elections.

The commission has cited a shortage of voting equipment as the reason for seeking the release of previously preserved machines. The court's inquiry reflects concerns about balancing the need for election infrastructure with ongoing litigation requirements for preserving evidence in disputed elections.