For the first time in the electoral history of India, EVMs will be tested, Bombay High Court gives permission.

By Sandy Verma On Apr 11, 2026

Bureau Prayagraj- For the first time in the electoral history of India, the Bombay High Court has allowed testing and inspection of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). This order was given by Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan. The petitioner in this case is Congress Working Committee invitee and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan, while the respondent is Shiv Sena MLA Dilip Lande. In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Dilip Lande (Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde faction) defeated Naseem Khan from Chandivali seat in Mumbai Suburban district.

After the elections, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had made allegations of EVM tampering and vote theft. The court order said that as soon as the order granting permission for EVM testing is issued by the applicant, the Election Commission of India will complete the inspection of the machines within two months. Naseem Khan said that till now in the history of India, EVMs have not been checked after elections in the presence of candidates and officials. He called it a “historic order and necessary judicial intervention”. A ‘diagnostic check’ will be conducted in Mumbai on April 16 and 17.

Mumbai Suburban district’s Deputy Returning Officer Archana Kadam informed that only ‘diagnostic check’ will be conducted by EVM manufacturer Bharat Electronics Limited (Bengaluru) in Mumbai on April 16 and 17. The Congress party had asked its candidates to demand testing of EVMs and VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) units in their respective constituencies. In fact, about two dozen candidates of the Congress-led India Alliance had expressed concerns about the reliability of EVMs.

Citing the April 2024 decision of the Supreme Court, Naseem Khan said that the “burnt memory/microcontroller” of 5% EVMs (control unit, ballot unit and VVPAT) in each assembly constituency should be examined by a team of engineers from the EVM manufacturing companies after the election results are declared.