Why Did EC Destroy VVPAT Slips of 2019 LS Polls in Such a Hurry?

The Quint has reported extensively on how EVM-VVPAT machines are vulnerable to manipulation. This story looks into why the Election Commission of India disposed off VVPAT slips used in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. In an RTI reply to our Editor-Investigations Poonam Agarwal, the EC stated that VVPAT slips were destroyed in September 2019, that is, within four months of the declaration of results of the Lok Sabha elections. As per the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, EC has to retain the used VVPAT slips for at least one year. VVPAT slips are crucial evidence to investigate tampering or manipulation during the election process. In fact, the Conduct of Elections Rules gives more weightage to VVPAT slips over EVM counts. The rule book clearly states that the EC can destroy the slips only in an exceptional circumstance, where they have a valid reason to do so. But EC’s letter mentions no such reason. So, the big question is - Why did the EC show urgency in destroying the VVPAT slips? #delhielection #delhielection2020 1:07 —VVPAT slips are crucial evidence in any election 1:40 — EVM-VVPAT are vulnerable to manipulation 2:05 — Private engineers were used in elections Video: The Quint Music: Big Bang Fuzz Support The Quint's independent journalism. Become a member now: https://bit.ly/2mE6B8P __ Check out The Quint for more news: https://www.thequint.com The Quint in Hindi: https://hindi.thequint.com For more videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2aIcith You can also follow The Quint here: Facebook: http://bit.ly/1RXYIg5 Twitter: http://bit.ly/1tjFuxI Instagram: http://bit.ly/1Piyc18