Ex-IAS officer Devasahayam filed RTI with EC seeking action taken on representation sent in May, 2022 questioning EVM/VVPAT credibility.
New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has criticised the Election Commission (EC) for not responding to an RTI request regarding eminent citizens’ representations. The representation, signed by noted technical professionals, academicians, and former civil servants, raised serious questions about the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines during elections.
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RTI Application and EC’s Non-Response
Former IAS officer M G Devasahayam, one of the signatories to the representation, filed an RTI application with the EC on November 22, 2022, seeking details of the action taken on the representation sent to the poll panel on May 2, 2022. The RTI application sought information about the persons and public authorities to whom the representation was forwarded, details of any meetings held on the issue, and all relevant file notings.However, the EC failed to provide any response within the mandatory 30-day period, and Devasahayam’s first appeal to senior officials was also not heard. Consequently, he approached the CIC in the second appeal, citing the lack of response from the poll panel.
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CIC’s Directive and Displeasure
During the hearing, Chief Information Commissioner Heeralal Samariya questioned the central public information officer (CPIO) of the EC about the lack of response to Devasahayam’s RTI application. The CPIO failed to provide a satisfactory reply, leading the CIC to express severe displeasure over the conduct of the then PIO in not providing any reply within the stipulated time frame under the RTI Act.The CIC termed the EC’s non-response as a “gross violation” of the law and directed the then PIO, through the present PIO, to furnish a written explanation for the violation. If others are also responsible for the omission, the CPIO has been instructed to serve a copy of the order on them and ensure that their written submissions are sent to the CIC.
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Representation by Eminent Citizens
The representation, which prompted Devasahayam’s RTI application, was sent to the EC on May 2, 2022, by a group of concerned civil society members, including technical professionals, academicians, and former civil servants. The signatories, comprising retired IAS, IPS, and IFS officers, as well as professors from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), posed serious questions about the credibility of EVMs and VVPAT machines.The letter stated, “Through this memorandum, we, a representative group of concerned civil society members, including technical professionals, academicians and former civil servants, would like to place certain posers before the ECI that have a bearing on the very survival of India as an electoral democracy. And we would expect an urgent response to each from the ECI.”
(With inputs from PTI)
