‘System can’t be honest when you win and rigged when you lose’: 124 ex-bureaucrats defend Election Commission, SIR exercise

After 42 former judges raised concerns over what they described as a sustained campaign against the Election Commission of India (ECI), 124 former bureaucrats have written an open letter defending the poll body amid allegations of irregularities in the electoral process.

In their letter to the citizens of India, the 124 former IAS, IFS and allied services officers said the country’s electoral system had undergone a significant transformation from the era of booth capturing, ballot box stuffing and election-related violence. They highlighted safeguards such as polling agents, the sealing of electronic voting machines (EVMs), strong-room security and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification.

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The letter comes amid protests in Delhi and Mumbai against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of electoral irregularities.

“A system cannot be honest when you win and rigged when you lose,” the letter stated, according to ANI, noting that the party ruling at the Centre had lost several state elections under the same Election Commission. The officers also referred to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in which the ruling party failed to secure an outright majority on its own.

Defending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the former civil servants described it as a necessary process to maintain accurate electoral rolls by identifying deceased voters, duplicate entries and individuals who had permanently shifted residence.

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They also maintained that the SIR process included safeguards to address concerns over wrongful exclusion, including the publication of draft electoral rolls, opportunities to file claims and objections, hearings and provisions for appeals.

“Questioning is every citizen’s right. Proving is the accuser’s duty,” the officers said, adding that unsubstantiated allegations could weaken public confidence in democratic institutions and the electoral process.

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Meanwhile, in a separate open letter, 42 former judges and retired constitutional officeholders said they had no political brief and were speaking out because “silence is no longer a neutral choice”. They alleged that constitutional bodies were facing attacks driven by political interests and warned of the consequences of undermining public trust in the country’s democratic institutions.

“Our concern is grave. India's constitutional bodies are under sustained attack. The Election Commission of India stands at the centre of this assault,” the letter read.