PIL seeks polls without party symbol in EVMs; SC asks petitioner to serve a copy to AG

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 19

A BJP leader has filed a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking directions to stop having party symbols on EVMs and replace the current system with a new one in which name, age photograph and educational qualifications of candidates would be displayed to enable voters to exercise informed choice.

"You serve a copy to the Attorney General and then we will see. No notice now," A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde on Friday told senior counsel Vikas Singh, representing Delhi BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

Contending that the petitioner had sent letters to the Election Commission and other authorities which didn't respond, Singh wanted the Bench to issue notices to the Centre and the Election Commission.

However, the top court refused to issue notice on the PIL at this juncture and instead asked the petitioner to serve a copy to the Attorney General.

Describing party symbol as the root cause of corruption and criminalisation of politics, Upadhyay urged the top court to issue appropriate directions to use the name, age photograph and educational qualifications of candidates on EVMs instead of party symbol.

As Singh submitted that in Brazil, one just got numbers to contest and no symbols, the Bench wondered how a symbol could affect the electronic voting process in any way.

The intrinsic value of a candidate could be measured by voters if details other than party symbols were taken into consideration, Singh submitted.