"This is to ensure there is not even a small shade of doubt about the EMS," EC said in a statement.
The Election Commission affirmed that it completely rejects fallibility of EVMs, but yet it decided to go the extra distance by inviting all those expressing reservations about these machines to demonstrate their allegations in its headquarters in New Delhi in the first week of August.
"This will be done in the presence of a technical experts group as well as engineers representing the EVM manufacturers," the Commission said, adding that it expects that "the demonstration would once for all set at rest any misgiving anywhere, in the interest of the country's electoral democracy."
Among those invited include V V Rao and three others who had moved the Supreme Court that directed them to approach the Election Commission, as also those who have petitioned on EVMs' tampering in the High Courts of Mumbai, Chennai and Madhya Pradesh.
"The issues recently raised by petitioners in the Courts and by some others, broadly allege the possibility of tampering with the machine during the manufacturing process or while operating the machine. It has also been mentioned that some of the western countries have given up using the EVMs," the EC stated.
"The fact is that unlike the machines used by other countries, which are based on operating systems, the software in the EVM chip is one time programmable and is burnt into the chip at the time of manufacture. Nothing can be written on the chip after manufacture. The EVM in India is a fully stand-alone machine without being part of any
network and with no provision for any input," the EC added.
Main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party had earlier asked the EC to ensure that the machines were tamper-proof before putting them to use in the coming assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana.
Questioning the functioning of the EVMs, BJP leader L K Advani had suggested re-introduction of ballot papers and his demand was backed by Communist Party of India-Marxist, Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Rashtriya Janata Dl, Janata Dal-Secular, Pattali Makkal Katchi and Lok Janashakti Party.
CPI-M had said the reports about functioning of EVMs should be considered "very seriously", especially as many countries, including developed ones, have reverted to ballot papers.
With inputs from PTI
