Supreme Court's 1984 Ruling on EVMs in Kerala Elections

Key Points

• 1The Supreme Court approved electronic voting machines (EVMs) on April 26, forty years after setting aside the first EVM use at Parur Assembly constituency.
• 2In 1982, the Election Commission of India (ECI) used voting machines in 50 polling stations in Kerala's Parur constituency, as a pilot project.
• 3The Supreme Court held that introducing voting machines was a legislative power, not within the ECI's authority under Article 324.
• 4The court stated that the 'manner as may be prescribed' was by ballot paper, not voting machines, and that the Centre wasn't ready to switch to machines.
• 5A byelection was held in 1984, which Jose won, but EVMs were adopted later, with Section 61A allowing ECI to specify constituencies for EVMs.