MUMBAI, Nov. 8 -- The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday issued notice to the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on a petition challenging its decision to conduct the upcoming local body elections without Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The VVPAT machine is attached to the ballot unit of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), and provides visual verification for the vote cast by a voter by printing a slip of paper with the voter's choice on it. A division bench led by justice Anil Kilor directed the SEC to file its response by next week. The petition, filed by Congress functionary Prafulla Vinodrao Gudadhe, claims the SEC has failed to ensure transparency in the election process by deciding not to deploy VVPATs. The plea notes that the SEC was earlier directed by the Supreme Court in May 2025 to complete the long-delayed local body polls within four months, after they were stalled for nearly four years. However, the SEC later sought an extension until January 31, 2026, citing lack of availability of suitable EVMs. Represented by advocates Pawan Dahat and Nihal Singh Rathod, Gudadhe argued that VVPAT is essential for voter confidence as it provides a paper trail verifying the vote cast. The petition relies on the SC's 2013 ruling in Subramanian Swamy vs ECI, which held VVPAT to be an "indispensable requirement" for free and fair elections. Without VVPATs, the petition contends, votes recorded on EVMs become unverifiable, leaving no way to confirm that the recorded vote reflects the voter's choice. Gudadhe said he had registered his protest with the SEC but received no response, prompting him to approach the high court....