The Election Commission of India has written to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, requesting that action be taken and FIR should be lodged against Syed Shuja who had recently claimed that he was part of the EVM design team in 2014 and could hack into them. He had also claimed that the General Election in 2014 and the Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly Elections were rigged.
It is pertinent to mention that senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal was an attendee of the event where such assertions were made by Shuja. OpIndia.com has accessed the copy of the letter written by ECI.
The ECI stated, “EVMs with adequate safeguards under the control of ECI has been lauded the world over. Hon’ble Supreme Court and various Hon’ble High Courts have also endorsed the use of EVMs in the elections through various judgments.”
The ECI also remarked that when an opportunity was presented to all parties to demonstrate any vulnerability of the EVMs, no one had actually turned up. It stated, “On 3rd of June, 2017 when a few political parties raised some issues regarding the use of EVMs, ECI organized an open challenge for all to come forward and make an attempt to demonstrate any vulnerability of the EVMs. Nobody turned up for such demonstrations.”
The ECI further asserted that Shuja’s remarks were in violation of Section 505(1)(b) and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The relevant section states, “Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity.”
The Commission requested to be informed of the action that was taken.
As per reports, the Electronics Corporation of India Limited has today informed the Election Commission that Syed Shuja was never their employee and he was not even a part of the EVM design and development team from 2009 to 2014. Shuja had claimed that he was associated with the organisation and had helped design the EVMs.
