Former IAS, IFS officers defend Election Commission and SIR in an open letter

In an open letter, 124 former officials of the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service and allied services defended the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, while questioning allegations of vote-rigging “without credible evidence”.

Highlighting India’s transformation from “an era of booth capturing, ballot box stuffing and electoral violence”, the officials said today’s electoral system has “multiple layers of checks and safeguards, including polling agents, electronic voting machine (EVM) sealing, strong-room security, and VVPAT verification”. They cited Bihar’s 2025 Assembly elections, saying it recorded no re-polling and the highest voter turnout since 1951.

Keep track | Anti-CEC protest LIVE updates: CJP calls for another protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday; members allege they have no information on detained CJP leaders’ whereabouts

“A system cannot be honest when you win and rigged when you lose,” they said, pointing out that under the same ECI, the ruling party at the Centre had lost several State elections and its parliamentary majority in 2024.

Defending the Election Commission’s independence, the officials underscored its multi-member structure and institutional safeguards. “Questioning is every citizen’s right. Proving is the accuser’s duty,” they argued.

On the SIR, they said the exercise was essential to clean up electoral rolls. They referred to the identification of around 22 lakh deceased voters and 7 lakh duplicate entries in Bihar, alongside the addition of about 21.5 lakh new voters. “An uncleaned roll does not protect the voter; it protects the fraudster,” said the former officials.

They said the SIR had safeguards such as “notice, hearings, appeals, and participation of political parties’ booth-level agents”. Stating that the Supreme Court had scrutinised the exercise, prescribed additional safeguards and upheld the Election Commission’s authority to undertake it, the former officials said to those questioning election results: “If the system you call rigged is the same one that handed you your victories, ask yourself whether it is the system you doubt, or only the result.”