New Delhi, July 27 - The Supreme Court Monday refused to entertain a lawsuit by an election watch group doubting the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines, which were used in the April-May general elections.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, while rejecting the lawsuit, asked the petitioners to first approach the Election Commission of India on the matter.

The bench, which also included Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Cyriac Joseph, however, gave the petitioners freedom to again approach the apex court if their grievances are not addressed by the poll panel.

Appearing for the election watch group, senior counsel Sanjay Parekh sought to impress upon the court that due to the growing political distrust against the EVMs it had become imperative for the court to set up a panel of experts to examine the functioning of the voting machines and ascertain whether they are tamper proof.

'All I want from this court is to set up a panel to examine the machines and then submit its report to this court,' Parekh pleaded, but the court refused to accept his plea.

The lawsuit was filed by two officials of a Hyderabad-based election watch group and two electronic engineers, who had contended that it was possible to tamper with the software of the machine and rig the election.

The lawsuit sought formation of a panel to examine the EVMs and decide if they needed to be improved or abandoned in favour of the ballot paper.

Election Watch official V.