Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking electoral reforms

NEW DELHI: Across the world people are envious of the way elections are conducted in India and the election process is faster than in other countries, the Supreme Court today said while dismissing a PIL seeking electoral reforms.

A bench headed by Chief Justice RM Lodha praised the way elections are being conducted in the country and refused to entertain the PIL seeking direction to the Election Commission to put in place a mechanism so that voters know antecedents of the candidates before they go to exercise their votes at polling booth as being provided in the UK.

"Values and laws of our country are different from other countries and it cannot be compared. You can't imagine the scale at which elections are conducted through EVMs across the country. People, the world over, are envious of the way elections are conducted in the country," the bench said.

"Election process in our country is faster than other countries. Even in USA they are not using EVM machines and in our country it is used across the nation and result is declared within hours," it said.

The court was hearing a petition filed by one Banwari Lal Sharma who pleaded that as in the UK, voters should be told about candidates who are in the fray.