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A Supreme Court Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana asked the Union government to examine introducing totaliser machines for counting EVM votes.
A totaliser aggregates the votes of about 14 polling booths before the result is declared, hiding booth-wise voting patterns.
The Court asked whether there is any impediment to such a system and whether it would have any negative impact, and pointed the Centre to the Conduct of Elections Rules and the Law Commission's recommendations.
The Election Commission of India has supported totalisers since first proposing the idea in 2008; the Centre has resisted it since at least 2017.
The petition dates to 2014 and argued that booth-level data lets candidates identify and victimise localities that voted against them.
A counting device that pools the votes of a cluster of around 14 EVMs and reports only the combined figure per candidate. The booth-wise split, which the present machine-by-machine count reveals, never becomes public.
Simple Analogy: Counting ballot boxes after mixing them, rather than one box at a time.
| Question | Election Commission of India | Union Government |
|---|---|---|
| Position on totalisers | Supportive since 2008; told the Court in 2018 that 'a time has come' for their introduction | Opposed; argued in 2017 that booth data does not cause intimidation |
| Main argument | Protects voter anonymity at the booth level | Booth data helps candidates work harder in low-support areas |
| Concerns flagged | Practical and legal issues around booth-wise verification and VVPAT | Risk of an EVM data breach before counting begins |
The Election Commission first proposes totalisers to the then Union government.
Yogesh Gupta and Imran Khan file a public interest petition asking that votes be mixed across polling stations within a constituency.
The Centre tells the Court that knowledge of booth-wise patterns does not lead to intimidation; a Group of Ministers headed by the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh had concluded large-scale intimidation was unlikely.
The Additional Solicitor General argues a totaliser could cause a data breach before counting; the Election Commission tells the Court the time for totalisers has come.
The Supreme Court directs the Centre to state its position and examine amending the Conduct of Elections Rules.
The subordinate legislation prescribing the procedure for polling and counting. Introducing totalisers requires an amendment to these Rules — which is what the Court asked the Union government to examine.
Governs the conduct of elections to Parliament and the State Legislatures, including the machinery for counting and the declaration of results.
Vests the superintendence, direction and control of elections in the Election Commission of India, the source of its authority to propose changes in counting procedure.
Constitutional body under Article 324 with superintendence, direction and control of elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President
The two public sector undertakings that manufacture India's EVMs, VVPATs and the totaliser interface
GS Paper II > Polity > Salient features of the Representation of People's Act; electoral reforms and constitutional bodies
General Awareness > Indian polity and elections
Which Article of the Indian Constitution deals with the "Election Commission of India"?
Answer: Article 324
Consider the following statements: 1. If the election of the President of India is declared void by the Supreme Court of India, all acts done by him/her in the performance of duties of his/her office of President before the date of decision become invalid. 2. Election for the post of the President of India can be postponed on the ground that some Legislative Assemblies have been dissolved and elections are yet to take place. 3. When a Bill is presented to the President of India, the Constitution prescribes time limits within which he/she has to declare his/her assent. How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer: None
With reference to the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: 1. No High Court shall have the jurisdiction to declare any central law to be constitutionally invalid. 2. An amendment to the Constitution of India cannot be called into question by the Supreme Court of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Neither 1 nor 2
The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its
Answer: original jurisdiction
Who/Which of the following is the custodian of the Constitution of India?
Answer: The Supreme Court of India
A device connected to the control units of about 14 EVMs that reports only the combined vote of the cluster for each candidate, masking booth-wise patterns.
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail — a printer attached to an EVM that shows the voter a paper slip of the vote cast; booth-wise verification of these slips is one practical hurdle to totalising.
Rules framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prescribing the procedure for polling and counting — the instrument that would have to be amended.