EVMs tamper-proof, paper trail compromises secrecy: Chawla

Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla today rubbished allegations by some political parties that electronic voting machines can be 'hacked', saying "our EVMs are tamper-proof and nobody has been able to demonstrate that they can be tampered with".

Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla today rubbished allegations by some political parties that electronic voting machines can be 'hacked', saying "our EVMs are tamper-proof and nobody has been able to demonstrate that they can be tampered with".

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Talking to reporters after reviewing preparations for Maharashtra Assembly elections, Chawla said: "Our EVMs are tamper-proof and nobody has been able to demonstrate that they can be tampered with."

On demand that there should be printout of ballots, Chawla said "We believe a paper trail defeats the essence of democracy, and secrecy will be seriously compromised."

The machines used by Election Commission are made by public sector undertakings BEL and ECIL, he said. The machine with which a party demonstrated that EVMs could be hacked was made by a private company, he said.

"In the view of the election commission, EVMs were and are tamper proof. Nobody has been able to demonstrate that they can be tampered with," Chawla said. "The whole purpose of democracy is that an individual's preference must be secret and it is the pillar of free, fair and transparent election process."

Noting that those who raised objections to the EVMs were "unable or unwilling to demonstrate their allegations on our machines", Chawla said the EVMs used by the Commission could not be tampered with.