The Supreme Court on Monday (Mar 1) told 21 opposition parties seeking 50 per cent VVPAT count to file their replies by April 8 to the Election Commission’s (EC) affidavit seeking continuation of the present electoral system for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna gave a week’s time to the opposition parties as their senior counsel sought time to file rejoinder to the EC’s affidavit.

The EC have said in its affidavit that the opposition “didn’t raise any argument or stand for changing” the ongoing method of sample checking.

In its affidavit, the poll panel has maintained that the present system has been implemented after conducting due studies and tests. The tests have concluded that the present method are most suitable should not be tinkered with, the EC said.

—India Legal Bureau