New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) Following are the highlights of the Supreme Court's verdict on Friday that rejected pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using electronic voting machines (EVMs) with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

* SC rejects demand for reverting to old paper ballot system.

Also Read | Unnatural Sex Case: Elderly Man Accused of Raping Cow Granted Bail by Allahabad High Court.

* SC says EVMs are secure and eliminates booth-capturing and bogus voting.

* SC issues directions on sealing and storage of symbol loading units.

Also Read | Nuh Road Accident: Three Devotees Killed, 14 Injured After Their Tata Tempo Enroute From Vrindavan to Punjab Rams Into Truck Parked on KMP Expressway.

* SC allows aggrieved candidates securing second and third places in poll results to seek verification of microcontroller chips embedded in five per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon payment of fee to the EC.

* SC says from May 1, the symbol loading units should be sealed and secured in a container and stored in a strongroom along with the EVMs for a minimum period of 45 days post declaration of results.

* SC says repeated and persistent doubts and despair, even without supporting evidence, can have the "contrarian impact of creating distrust"

* SC says credibility of EC and integrity of electoral process earned over years cannot be chaffed and over-ridden by baroque contemplations and speculations.

* Justice Dipankar Datta, writing his views in a separate verdict while concurring with the opinion of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, says there seems to be a concerted effort to discredit, diminish and weaken India's progress on every possible frontier and any such attempt has to be "nipped in the bud".

* Justice Datta says democracy is all about striving to build harmony and trust among all its pillars through open dialogue, transparency in processes and continuous improvement of the system by active participation in democratic practices.

* Justice Datta says EVMs have stood the test of time and the increased voting percentage was sufficient reason to hold that the voters have reposed faith in the current system.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)