The Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted an enquiry into the Bhind district episode and found that the EVMs were not tampered with.
A special enquiry team led by Bhanwar lal, Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh has submitted its report to the Commission on Friday. The team has found no anomaly or tampering in EVM and VVPAT used during demonstration in Ater (Bhind) on March 31, 2017. The enquiry was instituted by Election Commission of India to enquire into all aspects of various allegations raised in the media and by the political parties.
The technical examination of the Ballot Unit (BU), Control Unit (CU) and VVPAT of March 31 demonstration, oral examination of the officials present during the demonstration, data retrieved from the CU have conclusively established that during the demonstration, 4 buttons of BU were pressed in the following order:
Therefore it is clear that on pressing of various buttons on EVMS during the demonstration, corresponding symbols were displayed, the report added.
The team in its report concluded that it is completely false to say that at multiple times slips of lotus were printed on pressing different buttons during the demonstration on March 31, as alleged.
The lapse related to non-deletion of the pre-loaded data of Govind Nagar AC of Kanpur Nagar from where VVPATs (not EVMs) were received and reloading with the symbols/data of dummy candidate before demonstration as per the laid down protocol of the Commission necessitate appropriate action by the Commission.
It was also stated in the report that the EVMs used in the demo in Bhind was not brought from UP. However, the VVPAT used in the demonstration was brought from UP. Since the VVPATs are limited in number and had been used by the poll going states during the last five States elections, the distribution of VVPATs for 10 states bye-elections was made by the Commission by allocating VVPATs from different poll-gone States to different poll-going states. In this case, the VVPAT was allocated from UP and brought from Govind Nagar AC of Kanpur Nagar,UP.
Bringing the VVPAT from UP is not in violation of law. As per the law, only the EVMs used in the Poll and the VVPAT slips contained in the box are required to be preserved for the period of 45 days in a secured manner for the purpose of Election Petition, if any. There is no bar on the movement of VVPATs machines as the same are not required to be preserved for Election Petitions as the paper slips printed through the VVPAT and contained in the Box are required to be preserved separately. In this case, however, further precaution was taken to move only the reserve VVPATs used as substitutes during poll on which no restriction applies.
The Committee has recommended that the enquiry conclusively establishes that the accuracy of the functioning of the EVMs and VVPATs including the said EVM/VVPAT is beyond doubt.
Commission may like to fix responsibility on DEO and RO for the lapses brought out in the enquiry reports.