The Bombay High Court (HC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition alleging ‘bogus voters’ during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election, noting that it was nothing but “farcical claims made out of desperation”. A bench of Justice G S Kulkarni and Arif Doctor said petitioner Chetan Ahire, who claims to be a “public-spirited” voter, has failed to provide any authentic information to back his allegations and claims. It also noted that Ahire was not a candidate in the polls.
Petition had sought that EVM be replaced by ballot papers. Pic/ISTOCK
“We wonder as to how the petitioner can have a locus standi to seek such wide, sweeping and drastic reliefs to question the entire election of the State Legislative Assembly,” the HC stated. In his plea, Ahire had challenged the entire Maharashtra Assembly polls conducted in November 2024, seeking that they be declared null and void. The bench said that the plea appears to be filed in “absolute desperation” and has made “farcical claims on the purity of the process of the elections of the State Assembly, and more particularly in the context of the electronic voting machines (EVM)”.
The petition claimed that around 6.8 per cent of the total number of votes (76 lakh) that were cast after 6 pm were illegal. It said the plea has been filed without any tangible material to support the claims of false and bogus voting. “There is no material whatsoever, much less of any authenticity, to the effect that there was any malpractice, fraud or complaint of any nature in regard to the voting at the closing hours of the poll,” HC said.
“We are of the clear opinion that merely on political opinions or on unsubstantiated newspaper reports, a petition cannot at all be maintained,” the court said. The petition had sought that the EVM system be replaced by the traditional method of voting by ballot papers. Referring to a Supreme Court judgment, the HC said that the use of EVMs has been held legal and valid.
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