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[POLITICS] · India · 14 sources

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Part of situation: Debate over Indian constitutional institutions (2 clusters)

Former Indian civil servants defend Election Commission and electoral roll revision

Election Commission of India Special Intensive Revision electoral rolls civil servants voter list revision

A group of 124 retired civil servants, including former IAS, IFS, and IPS officers, has issued an open letter defending the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The signatories, which include former ambassadors and secretaries to the government, argue that the SIR is a necessary cleaning operation to remove deceased and duplicate voters to ensure the integrity of the democratic process.

The former officials criticized recent political allegations of ‘vote theft’ and election rigging, stating that such claims lack credible evidence and risk wounding public trust in democratic institutions. They noted that the current electoral system includes robust safeguards such as polling agents, electronic voting machine (EVM) sealing, strong-room security, and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification.

To counter claims of bias, the group pointed out that the same Election Commission oversaw several state elections where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost, as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where the party failed to secure an outright majority. They emphasized that a system cannot be considered honest when a party wins and rigged when it loses.

Entities

Bharatiya Janata Party · Election Commission of India · Gyanesh Kumar · India · Kanwal Sibal · Sunil Kumar Gulati

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

124 पूर्व अधिकारियों ने किया चुनाव आयोग और एसआईआर का समर्थन [www.hindimilap.com]
124 former civil servants back Election Commission, defend SIR, question vote-rigging claims [desitalkchicago.com]
दिल्ली : 124 पूर्व अधिकारियों ने खुले पत्र में निर्वाचन आयोग और एसआईआर का बचाव किया [www.liveaaryaavart.com]
42 ex-judges warn over ‘vote theft’ claims [nagalandpost.com]
Karnataka: Retired babus concerned over stir against SIR, poll process [www.ghanamma.com]
Ex-Haryana secy defends EC, says allegations must have credible proof [newsable.asianetnews.com]
System can't be honest only when you win: 124 ex-officers support EC, SIR [www.orissapost.com]
124 Former IAS IFS Officers Defend Election Commission and SIR Process [pragativadi.com]
21 அதிமுக எம்எல்ஏக்கள் மீதான தகுதி நீக்கம் கைவிடப்பட்டதை எதிர்த்த மேல்முறையீட்டு வழக்கு தள்ளுபடி [www.hindutamil.in]
Ex-judges raise alarm over ‘campaign’ against ECI, urge protection of institutions [www.sentinelassam.com]
தேர்தல் ஆணையம் தொடர்பாக 42 நீதிபதிகள் கடிதம்; அதில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டிருப்பது என்ன? [www.nakkheeran.in]
Karnataka: Retired babus concerned over stir against SIR, poll process [www.newindianexpress.com]
'When violence speaks, democracy falls silent': Former IAS, IFS officers back Election Commission, defend SIR [www.india.com]
124 Former Bureaucrats Defend EC Amid Protests, Say ‘Rigged’ Poll Claims Need Evidence [www.news18.com]