The judgement:

• The Supreme Court dismissed the petitions seeking verification of all the votes cast on EVMs with VVPAT slips.
• The apex court also rejected a plea to return to paper ballots.
• The voter will not be allowed to take the VVPAT slip himself physically and drop into the ballot compartment, which is currently being dropped there automatically after the voter checks it through a screen.
• The court said the ECI may explore the possibility of using an electronic machine to count VVPAT slips.
• The sealed containers containing the SLUs shall be kept in storerooms, with the EVMs, (for) at least for 45 days post declaration of results, the court said.
• The burnt memory in the EVM microcontroller must be checked by a team of engineers after results are declared if a candidate makes such a request, the verdict stated.

"Blindly distrusting a system can lead to unwarranted suspicions," Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna remarked.

OPINION: It is important that the random selection of the booths is done after the EVM counting. It would also help to clear any lingering doubts if the number of random booths is increased. The rest could be left to Lady Luck!

NEW DELHI, Apr 26: The Supreme Court dismissed a batch of petitions on Friday seeking cross-verification of all the votes cast through the EVMs (electronic voting machines) with the VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) paper slips during counting. It also rejected a plea to return to the old paper ballot system of voting.

The court also refused to allow the voters to put the VVPAT paper slips themselves into the ballot compartment instead of them being dropped into it automatically as is being done now.

The VVPAT slips are currently used to verify votes cast through the EVM only in five randomly selected polling booths per constituency. The petition was demanding to match up all the votes cast on EVM with the slips (100% verification).

The ECI argued that it matched EVM votes with more than 4 crore VVPAT slips and so far there were no discrepancies found. The commission explained how it is impossible to tamper with the EVMs and that the programme itself is copyrighted.

The VVPAT machine attached to the EVM prints out a slip of paper showing the vote cast by a voter and drops it into a compartment below. The slip is visible for seven seconds for the voter to check if the vote he cast has gone to the candidate of his choice. These slips can be used and counted like ballot papers and tallied with the candidate-wise total votes polled as shown by the EVM. But at present this counter-verification is done only for five randomly selected polling booths per constituency. This sampling is supposed to test the integrity of system of machine voting.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and other petitioners alleged that the EVM can be tampered with or even be pre-programmed to save majority votes in favour of a particular candidate/party/symbol.

Advantages of EVM

There are quite a few advantages of using the EVM voting machine, especially if transparency can be brought about. First, saving the paper. But even for paper ballot there used to be complaints long ago that a Russian magic ink was being used that does the trick of changing the mark in favour of the intended candidate. There have been serious charges against the pro-active spymaster of the universe for over a period of about three-fourths of a century. It is now in public domain that they, using their latest home-grown technology, helped Trump in winning the 2016 US presidential election but was preempted next time as the Democrats smelt a rat and succeeded in changing the voting pattern heavily in favour of postal ballot and early voting. A shocked Trump went violent and still remains unstable.

Secondly, and this one is quite good, that there is no chance of the most common dispute about the validity of a marking on a paper ballot by the voter in the old system, holding up counting! There can never be an error when the candidate's option is printed by a machine. Counting can be made easy.

Thirdly, saving the time. Results can be announced instantly. However, the argument that election in India is the largest democratic exercise in the world and we can no longer continue with the physical counting as in small countries like France and Switzerlad, is fallacious. It was the most stupid thing for the ECI to submit in the court that counting 100% VVPAT slips would pose a “great difficulty” as it would take an hour to count the slips from one VVPAT alone. Who are they kidding, the court?

TAILPIECE: It is true to say, if you know advanced computer programming, that anything is possible through computing technology in the universe today except for moving the mountains. And for that we don't need to wait for Quantum to come. Even without programming knowledge, a teacher from her home computer can correct her pupil's answers on his computer at his house. That is as simple as that! As for the EVM, a simple mobile can be used from outside the booth to rewrite the list/file the EVM is storing if you are familiar with the inside of the machine. It is questionable whether a jurist who is defined as an expert in the common laws formulated by the politicians, and the legal practices, by virtue of just being that jurist is competent to express opinions on these technological issues.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

ANALYSIS: "The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints," says the Government. That means, it is taken for granted the US will set the standard for deportations. For another, the Government is more interested in comparing with what happened in 2012 under a different Government to justify its own compliance! No surprise, others are trampling upon us. (How we conduct ourselves inside decides, inherently, how we are treated outside) Thirdly, the Government blamed the gangs doing the business of human trafficking for the illegal migration. For all the crimes taking place in the country, let us blame the criminals! Funny! We will never move an inch forward! The mindset defines what we are.

Meanwhile, a UN-returned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sounded like a layman when he said, "If they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back." Who said 'No'?. He should know that is not the issue now. Who will identify an undocumented person, and how?

The function was held indoors from 12 pm (10:30 pm IST) at the rotunda of the US Capitol building because of unusually intense cold and snow. Delivering his inaugural address, Trump remarked, “The golden age of America begins right now," and just hours later signed a slew of executive orders to redeem the election pledges.

The issue: Trump says he is open to 'economic force' to acquire Canada as its '51st State' if it does not stop the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the US and secure its border.

Trudeau gets ready for the battle: Trudeau under Trump's onslaught had appeared quiet as a lamb because he was facing serious internal problems and now the situation has changed. He has resigned and has enough space for a single-minded counter-attack as acting PM. And that is what he is doing to Canada's advantage. He will prapare Canada to take the 'bull' by the horns (literally) when he takes office on January 20.

There is more to it: On the same page now, Conservative Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has also outlined his plan to deal with the US President-elect's threats. Both will stand united against the common enemy, and take on him adequately when he assumes office.

And the latest: The counter-attack begins. In a CNN interview, Trudeau strategically addresses the Americans, tells them a ghostly 25% tariff will create a recession in Canada but will be equally devastating for the US economy. And he has a point.

• A President-elect at the instance of 'sensible' aides has declared, “A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America.” A Trump statement said he will chop off the bureaucratic flab, or in his own words, “drain the swamp” in Washington. This contrasts with India where millions and millions of clerks rule the roost with the blessings of petty vote bank politicians, who badly needed them, all these 77 years.
• The South African migrant who will benefit more than Trump himself from the election victory has climbed to the helm - Elon Musk will be the monarch of all he surveys in Washington!
• Musk will lead a 'Department of Government Efficiency' with Vivek Ramaswamy, the eccentric dreamer.
• They will slash bureaucracy and Government spending and restructure Federal agencies. (But no mention of what next and how!)
• The irony lies here: Musk will also be the boss of all Federal agencies, including those currently investigating business frauds in his own companies like Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink, which receive Government funding, inter alia making him the richest man on earth.

"We are the only nation not based on race or religion. Literally we are the only nation based on an idea... That all men are created equal."

The former President asked voters to cast their ballot early. (Last elections large-scale early voting had helped Democrats foil any foul play by Trump's alleged foreign agents.)

MAYHEM IN THE AIR: The Civil Aviation Ministry wants to take strict action to prevent more such incidents disrupting Indian aviation!!! Punishment: Culprits of the hoax bomb threats will be put on no-fly list!!! LUDICROUS! Typically this will continue - Both the crime and the punishment. Because our system pushes the scum to the top.

COMMENT: Dragon, unlike what has been reported in the media, is not a rescue mission. Its schedule of liftoff or return has not been changed to suit the stranded astronauts. On the other hand, the astronauts' return has been put off by several months to suit the Dragon's schedule. What SpaceX has done is only dropping two spacemen to accommodate Suni and Wilmore on the capsule's return. And that too was at the instance of NASA which has authority over the choice of astronauts under the contract which facilitates flow of moneys from the American treasury to the pocket of Elon Musk for running his SpaceX business, making him a billionaire and dance with abandon. Result: NASA is a divided house!

Note: The video of the debate (above), a replica of the live telecast, is the best bet to get a real picture of what really was the latest American presidential debate, first hand. Watch.

Kamala Harris had pleaded for unmuting the mic but Trump had his knees knocking. She was a prosecutor and wanted to have a face-to-face with him, an exchange, some pointed questions, unmask him and his money power, expose him before the American people. But that was not to be and we will not call it a debate. Only the moderator will ask questions!

Harris will be seen Tuesday night on the television on the viewers' right side as they sit in front of the set. Viewers tend to focus towards their right side and that in turn can provide a better impact on their voting behaviour. And from the stage's right podium, or the interviewer's stand, she will be in a commanding position vis-a-vis her rival.

HERE's THE PROOF: Attorney General Merrick Garland has accused Russian State broadcaster RT of paying a Tennessee firm $ 10 m to create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian Government messaging. RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan (see pix) is one of 10 people sanctioned by the US for trying to manipulate the elections.

And now Putin declaring an unsolicited support to Harris: A close connection is seen in Trump, in his interview with his chum Musk, making an inappropriate comment calling Harris as most beautiful and comparing her to his wife with a view to blunting her electoral campaign like the fox in the crow story. And Musk later sharing an AI-generated image of Harris as Communist dictator in uniform. The South African has joined the war as his empire is at stake!! All these look like a coordinated Russian traditional job. The Russians managed to give it to Trump in 2016 by damaging Clinton, but failed in 2020!

• In a fiery speech, an emboldened "girl fallen from the coconut tree" opened her box of agenda and promised the Americans she will take the country to new heights.
• Kamala exhorted all Americans to forge a new unity that will "chart a new way forward," a first in history, laying the foundations of a new America, and that's her vision. She was greeted with a non-stop standing ovation by the delegates as she took the mike at the jam-packed convention arena.
• "I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads and listens. Who is realistic. Practical," she promised.

Joe Biden was so pleasing to the ears as he sought to invoke the power of democracy and list his Government's achievements all due to the grace of God. But what broke the mike was Clinton's hard metallic, sounding so genuine and dedicated as, may be, she had a revenge carryover from 2016, the year when the Russians were alleged to have begun a social media misinformation campaign in favour of Trump and a suspected hacking of the machines using applications quite unfamiliar to the rest of the world. Which was thwarted by the Democrats in the nick of time in 2020 although Trump as President tried to block them by cutting postal funds. He went violent and attempted insurrection not fully because of his animal insticts but also because he was made to believe in a result like the 2016's and that belief was shattered. What marked out Day One at the convention was a 'presumptive' candidate's unscheduled appearance on the stage made possible by the virtual roll call of August 1 - Kamala Harris, the Vice President. The day also facilitated a less known but deserving New York Guv Kathy Hochul, the American cheetah breaking into the national scene for future purpose! Not well done this time!

ALL ISMs APART, WHO IS Muhammad Yunus? Aside from a Nobel prize that does not assess but compare, Yunus's social biz idea of melding capitalism and social responsibility in the late 1980s, known as microfinance, did revolutionise rural Bangladesh - unlike the destructive infrastructure funding mania of the political underdogs - pulling millions out of perennial poverty, setting an example for many other poor countries to emulate.

On the lines of Dr Verghese Kurien of India much much earlier, who was hounded by the communists as a CIA agent out of compulsive ignorance and a lack of basic ability to gauge what he had done which they should have indeed. He mobilised the Indian grassroots, introducing the concept of cooperatives, the implications of which the pseudo socialists and their forefathers couldn't ever dream of.

Certified for use as store, if the space was being illegally used as library, who should primarily be held responsible, irrespective of whether such usage was the cause of the tragedy or not. Could anybody guess right? No. The police have arrested any number of people! What for? Now a CBI inquiry! Into what?

The court also 'discovered' (nobody else knows!) that, "Delhi has multiplicity of authorities who are only passing the buck and blaming each other.”

A PROGNOSIS: Much maligned over old age and gaffes (or allowed to be !), Biden (81) leaving the scene has made Trump (78) the old man in the field! Now on a weak wicket, having forced to change his target mid-stream and rearrange his campaign strategy, the 'rogue' behind the Capitol rampage will be asked by a woman opponent, how old are you? Additionally, the sharpshooting prosecutor will be converting the hustings into a trial court for a decisive onslaught where the convicted felon will finally succumb.

OPINION: Quotas, permanent Government jobs, pay scales and tons of allowances and more than matching pensions are the 'gifts' of wretched vote bank politics in developing societies masquerading as a type of nascent democracy. Depressing poverty and painful migrations are the byproducts. The reality is: There can't be permanent jobs because demand for work is a 'variable'. And quota is its offspring. The agenda of creating jobs and quotas is therefore poor economics, with far-reaching social impacts, but of course serves those politicians in the short term.