New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a PIL seeking a probe by a retired apex court judge into whether unauthorised persons had access to electronic voting machines used in polls across the country since 2014.

The PIL also sought that access to EVMs be restricted to authorised engineers.

A bench headed by Justice A.K. Sikri asked advocate Devadat Kamat - appearing for petitioner Ashish Goyal, a journalist from Dehradun - to serve a copy of the petition to the Election Commission so that the matter can be listed for further hearing after two weeks.

The petition wanted the names of the authorised engineers deputed by the public sector companies Electronics Corporation of India, Hyderabad, and Bharat Electrical Limited, Bangalore, which manufacture EVMs, to be made available to all political parties contesting polls and also be uploaded on the Election Commission website.

Goyal alleged that he was forced to approach the Supreme Court to bring to its notice "certain vital security breaches in recent elections relating to the physical handling of electronic voting machines by unauthorised persons and in contravention of the Manual on Electronic Voting Machine and VVPAT of the Election Commission of India".

The petitioner urged the apex court to pass appropriate directions to the Election Commission, Electronics Corporation of India and Bharat Electrical Limited to put in place safeguards to ensure that the integrity of EVMs is not compromised.