SC notice to EC on plea to tally votes with VVPATs

Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to EC on a PIL filed by activist Arun Kumar Agrawal seeking complete count of VVPAT paper slips in polls as opposed to the current practice of verification of only five randomly selected EVMs in each assembly segment of an LS seat. Contending that elections, like justice, should not only be free and fair but also be seen to be fair, the petitioner claimed that if simultaneous verification is done and more officers are deployed, complete VVPAT verification can be done in 5-6 hours.