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Election Commission of India refuses to disclose SIR software details
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has declined to release the name and version of the software used to identify errors and anomalies in voter rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Responding to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by social activist M.A. Mujeeb Ayyub, the ECI cited exemptions under the RTI Act, specifically regarding commercial confidence, trade secrets, and intellectual property rights.
The Commission stated that no new software was developed or procured for the SIR process and maintained that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) hold the statutory authority to decide on the inclusion or exclusion of voters based on facts and records. The ECI also declined to provide details on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or automated flagging, characterizing some queries as requests for clarification rather than formal information.
The refusal has sparked intense political backlash. The Congress party has accused the ECI of attempting to conceal “massive, centralised manipulation” of electoral rolls and has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Additionally, AICC Secretary Manoj Chauhan alleged that the commission is colluding with the ruling BJP to facilitate nationwide electoral fraud.
Entities
Congress Party · Election Commission of India · Gyanesh Kumar · India · Jairam Ramesh · M. A. Mujeeb Ayyub · M.A. Mujeeb Ayyub · O. P. Rawat · O.P. Rawat · Representation of the People Act · Tata Consultancy Services
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] AICC Secretary Manoj Chauhan claimed the ECI is colluding with the BJP to undermine democracy. www.latestly.com · newsable.asianetnews.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The Election Commission stated that no new software was developed or procured for the SIR exercise. navbharatlive.com · news.abplive.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · www.news18.com · scroll.in
- [● 5 SOURCES] Congress has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. www.dynamitenews.com · www.latestly.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · theshillongtimes.com
- [● 8 SOURCES] M.A. Mujeeb Ayyub filed an RTI application regarding the technology used in the SIR process. navbharatlive.com · www.dnpindia.in · hindi.newsbytesapp.com · news.abplive.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · +3 more
- [● 11 SOURCES] The Election Commission of India refused to disclose the name and version of the software used in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). www.dynamitenews.com · navbharatlive.com · www.dnpindia.in · hindi.newsbytesapp.com · news.abplive.com · +5 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Congress party alleges that the ECI is concealing centralized manipulation of electoral rolls. www.dynamitenews.com · theshillongtimes.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The ECI cited Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act as the basis for withholding software details. www.dnpindia.in · news.abplive.com · www.newsbytesapp.com · pragativadi.com · www.news18.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) developed the ECINET software. www.dynamitenews.com · hindi.newsbytesapp.com