Ex-Solicitor General of India Harish Salve Explains Thoroughness of EVM Machines | EXCLUSIVE

Senior vocate in Supreme Court, former Solicitor General of India and King's Counsel Harish Salve in an exclusive interaction with Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and Executive Editor Rhythm Bharwaj shares his views on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), thoroughness of machines, how y are operated, and much more. 

Salve debunks myths surrounding 'rigging' of EVMs

Speaking to Goswami after Supreme Court rejected pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), Salve asserted that it was not likely that same political party would have same button (of vote) all time. suggestion that EVM machine is rigged and any button you press, number four will get pressed may actually end up with all Independent (candidates) getting elected. This challenge h come up in 2019." 

Speaking about intervention of a 'foreign expert,' every time India gets hit with an issue, top jurist quipped, "Why is it that every time this happens, re is an American expert? In 2019, an American expert said that he could hack EVM machine. And, Hindenburg (report) happens, re is an American report. When Human Rights abuses happen in India, re is an American angle. Of course, nobody tells you that we feed information to a select person who gives a report and we present it!" 

Speaking about 'hacking' of EVMs, Salve told Arnab, "In 2019, Election Commission (EC) declared what y called a 'hackathon.' y said come along and hack it. A friend from Mr Kejriwal's party, some American expert, came and said he wanted to take machine home. He came with a machine that was hacked. So short answer was, yes if you change morboard, you can change it." 

Salve explains how EVMs operate 

Throwing a light on how EVMs worked, Salve said, “It is not connected to Internet. It has no Bluetooth connectivity. Its connection to printer with VVPAT is through a cable. re is no way, in which you can use digital language to talk to this machine.”

Explaining furr, he said, "se machines are stored in a warehouse. When stores are opened and machines are taken out, representatives of political parties are invited. machines are first jumbled up and me into separate lots and sent. If it is a Lok Sabha election phase-wise, machines are sent to state, constituency-wise where elections are going to be held." 

He said, “Every constituency will have different names of candidates. refore, button for a political party will depend on what list looks like. That is done in presence when it is dispatched and n machines are received and a trial run is conducted.”

He said if EVM machines work well, n y are deployed for elections. Calling VVPAT ' belt and brace' provision, which is brought in to ensure nothing goes wrong. Salve explained that Election Commission (EC) h also clarified that re has never been a discrepancy between VVPAT and machine. 

Salve on paper voting

Salve questioned, “I fail to understand on what basis are se doubts (on EVM) getting created. Let's go back to paper voting. Why? Because Germany or England has paper voting. How different are cultures and ecosystems re? In England, I have never been asked for my identity while voting. y take your word for it, you give your vote and you come away.”

Comparing contrasting culture of India with that of countries like Europe and UK, Salved said, “Can you compare it with rough-and-tumble of Indian elections? When people give se kinds of examples, wonder and y aren't uneducated people. This is basically putting country's democracy in a question mark." 

Slamming all 'wise and clever people speaking in summits,' Salve said, "All wise and clever people including those whose families h imposed emergency me such statements in seminars and speeches abro, it has been going on to pull India down." 

Earlier in day, Supreme Court Justice Justice Dipankar Datta, responding to scepticism surrounding reliability of EVMs and opting for paper ballots inste, said, "A trend has been fast developing of certain vested interest groups endeavouring to undermine achievements and accomplishments of nation, earned through hard work and dedication of its sincere workforce. re seems to be a concerted effort to discredit, diminish and weaken progress of great Nation on every possible frontier." 

He said, “Any such effort or rar attempt has been nipped in bud. No constitutional court far less this court, would allow such an attempt to succeed. I have serious doubts as regards bonafide of petitioner association when it seeks a reversion to old order.”

Justice Datta ded, “No Constitutional court, far less this Court, would allow such attempt to succeed as long as it ( court) has a say in matter. I have serious doubt as regards bona fides of petitioning association when it seeks a reversion to old order.”

In a big move, Supreme Court rejected pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) stating that 'blindly distrusting' any aspect of system can ‘breed unwarranted scepticism.’

Reacting on same, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, asserted verdict was a 'tight slap' to Congress-led opposition that must apologise for creating distrust against EVMs.

Watch full interview here: