The Election Commission of India (ECI) has petitioned the Kerala High Court to release Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used during the 2024 General Elections in Thrissur, asserting they are unnecessary for resolving the ongoing legal challenge to Union Minister Suresh Gopi’s electoral victory.
In its affidavit, the ECI emphasized that the EVMs were crucial for upcoming elections across the country and noted that their retention in custody served no purpose in the case before the court. The election petition filed by Binoy AS, a Thrissur voter and All India Youth Federation leader, accuses Gopi and his associates of engaging in corrupt practices. However, the ECI pointed out that the claims in the petition do not involve allegations linked to the EVMs.
Justice Kauser Edappagath, presiding over the case, recently added the ECI as a respondent and scheduled the next hearing for December 4. The ECI underscored that under election law, EVMs need only be produced in court if a petition demonstrates that irregularities in vote counting or reception materially affected the results—an argument absent from this case.
The affidavit requested the court to direct the release of the EVMs held by the Thrissur District Election Officer, arguing that retaining them would impede election preparations.
The matter continues to draw attention as the High Court deliberates on the election dispute and the ECI’s plea to repurpose the machines for future electoral events.
