‘Uncleaned voter roll protects the fraudster, not the voter’: 124 former civil servants back the Election Commission of India, support SIR of electoral rolls

On Saturday, 10th October, 124 former IAS, IFS, and other service officers have issued an open letter to the people of the country in support of the Election Commission of India and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. The former officers defended the election process and said that claims of elections being “rigged” should be supported by proper evidence.

In their letter, the officers said they had spent their careers conducting and studying elections. They explained that the election system had improved significantly from the days when booth capturing, violence, stolen ballot boxes, and fake voting were common. Booth capturing became a criminal offence in 1989.

124 पूर्व IAS, IFS और अन्य सेवाओं के अधिकारियों ने चुनाव आयोग और मतदाता सूची के विशेष गहन पुनरीक्षण (SIR) के समर्थन में खुला पत्र जारी किया है। अधिकारियों ने बिना ठोस सबूत वोट चोरी और चुनावी धांधली के आरोपों पर सवाल उठाते हुए चुनावी प्रक्रिया में मौजूद सुरक्षा उपायों और संस्थागत व्यवस्थाओं का बचाव किया। पत्र में बिहार के 2025 विधानसभा चुनाव का उल्लेख करते हुए कहा गया कि वहां 1951 के बाद सबसे अधिक मतदान दर्ज हुआ और किसी सीट पर दोबारा मतदान की जरूरत नहीं पड़ी। अधिकारियों ने SIR को जरूरी बताते हुए मृत मतदाताओं और दोहरी प्रविष्टियों को हटाने तथा नए मतदाताओं को जोड़ने का हवाला दिया। अधिकारियों का स्पष्ट संदेश है—“जीतने पर व्यवस्था ईमानदार और हारने पर धांधली वाली नहीं हो सकती।” सवाल उठाना हर नागरिक का अधिकार है, लेकिन आरोप साबित करने की जिम्मेदारी आरोप लगाने वाले की है।

— Abhishek Singhal (@Abhishek_Journo) October 10, 2026

Former officers highlight improvements in elections

The letter pointed to Bihar’s 2025 Assembly election as an example of improved election management. According to the officers, Bihar recorded its highest voter turnout since 1951, with women voting in record numbers. The election also saw no re-polling, a first in the state’s history.

They highlighted, “We know what a rigged election looks like. We served in those days you know only from films: the katta at the booth, the bahubali’s men, ballot boxes stuffed or stolen, voters turned away. Booth capturing was so common that Parliament made it a crime in 1989. When violence speaks, democracy falls silent.”

The officers said the Election Commission had introduced several checks to protect voting. Candidates’ agents can observe the voting process, receive signed records of votes counted and monitor sealed voting machines kept in strong rooms. They also noted that matching paper slips with machine counts provides another layer of protection, a safeguard upheld by the Supreme Court in 2024.

They mentioned, “This did not happen because officials became saints. It happened because the system that the ECI created trusts no one blindly. Every candidate’s agent watches every booth and takes home a signed count of the votes cast. Machines are sealed with the agents’ signatures and guarded in strong rooms that candidates may watch.”

“Rigging would require thousands of officials and representatives of different political parties to remain silent,” the letter said, adding that no such conspiracy had been proved.

The officials also emphasised that the same logic is also applicable to the senior-most level. “The Election Commission was made a multi- member body, a design the Supreme Court upheld in 1995, so that no one person holds such power. Three Commissioners weigh every question from different angles, and that’s not something unforeseen,” the letter mentioned, addressing the alleged disagreement between the Election Commissioners.

SIR necessary to clean voter lists

Defending the SIR exercise, the former officers said Bihar’s voter lists had not undergone an intensive revision since 2003. They stated that the exercise identified around 22 lakh deceased voters, seven lakh duplicate entries and lakhs of people who had permanently moved away.

The letter said that removing such entries was necessary to prevent people from voting in someone else’s name. “An uncleaned roll does not protect the voter. It protects the fraudster,” the officers wrote.

They also rejected concerns that the SIR was intended to exclude voters. According to the letter, the draft voter list is provisional, and a missing name does not automatically mean that the voter has been removed permanently. Officials must issue notice and provide an opportunity to be heard before removing a name. Two levels of appeal are also available.

The officers added that around 21.5 lakh new voters were included during the exercise. Political parties can also appoint representatives to work alongside Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

The letter outlined, “Ordering a Special Intensive Revision is a cleaning up operation; it sanitises voters lists and weeds out ineligible voters. It brings some discomfort in the process, which is part of every major initiative to improve the health of Indian democracy.”

Supreme Court safeguards and Election Commission’s role

The letter highlighted the Supreme Court’s monitoring of the SIR process. The court did not stop the exercise but directed that the names of all 65 lakh people missing from Bihar’s draft voter list be published with reasons. It also allowed online claims, directed officials to accept Aadhaar as proof of identity, arranged free legal aid for appeals and warned that the exercise could be struck down if illegal practices were found.

The officers further stated that on May 27, 2026, the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission’s authority to conduct the revision under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, while adding safeguards for voters mistakenly removed from the list.

They also defended the Commission’s multi-member structure, noting that the Supreme Court had upheld the arrangement in 1995. They said the presence of three Election Commissioners helps ensure that decisions are examined from different viewpoints.

Officers urge citizens to check their names

The former officers said the Election Commission should not be judged based on political results. They pointed out that parties ruling at the Centre had lost elections in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir under the same Commission. The ruling party also lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 general election.

They urged citizens to check their names on voter lists and help parents, neighbours and migrant workers do the same. Those whose names are missing should file claims through the available process.

The letter also defended BLOs, many of whom are teachers and anganwadi workers, saying they work from door to door to update voter records.

“Question everything, but when someone says ‘rigged’, ask for proof they will swear to,” the officers wrote. They stressed that citizens have the right to question elections, but accusations should be supported by evidence and raised through legal channels, including objections to voter lists and election petitions before High Courts.

The letter concluded by warning that repeated claims of election fraud without proof could weaken public trust in democracy. It said the same election system should not be called fair when a party wins and dishonest when it loses.

A total of 124 former IAS, IFS, and other service officers signed the open letter. Their names and designations are listed below: