'EVMs tamper-proof, being looked after by technical experts'

Chandigarh: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said Monday electronic voting machines were tamper-proof and an expert committee was looking after their functioning.

There is absolutely nothing to doubt about the integrity of the system; the CEC said while addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the new academic session of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here.

"Since there is a galaxy of technocrats sitting here, I must inform you that the entire functioning of EVMs (electronic voting machines) is being looked after by a highly-qualified technical committee," Arora said.

The CEC's remarks come in the backdrop of several political parties in the past alleging that EVMs are prone to tampering.

The members of the committee are not the kind who can be approached, influenced, coaxed by anybody, Arora said, asserting that EVMs cannot be tampered with.

...Every citizen of India should know that this is not a machine that can be tampered. There is a difference between tampering and malfunctioning. Any device can malfunction. You purchase a new car; it can malfunction within a week..., he said.