Several retired judges, bureaucrats, diplomats and defence officers have issued a strongly worded statement condemning Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, for raising doubts on the Election Commission of India’s fairness in conducting polls and preparing the electoral rolls.

A total of 272 signatories, including 16 former judges, 123 retired bureaucrats, 14 former ambassadors and 133 military veterans, endorsed the statement released by former Delhi High Court judge S.N. Dhingra and former Jharkhand DGP Nirmal Kaur.

The statement said: “The Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, has repeatedly attacked the Election Commission, declaring that he has open and shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in vote theft… using unbelievably uncouth rhetoric that what he has found is an atom bomb and when it explodes, the EC would have no place to hide. He has also issued threats that whoever in the Election Commission is involved in this exercise, right from top to bottom, he will not spare them. According to him, ECI is indulging in treason. He has gone on record to threaten that if CEC/ECs are retired, he will hound them.

“Yet, despite such scathing accusations, there has been no formal complaint filed
by him, along with the prescribed sworn affidavit, to escape his accountability for levelling unsubstantiated allegations and threatening public servants in performance of their duty.”

The signatories include former chief justice of Karnataka High Court Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and former RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi.

They added: “This pattern of behaviour reflects what might be called ‘impotent rage’ — deep anger born of repeated electoral failure and frustration, without a concrete plan to reconnect with the people…. Now is the time for civil society and the citizens of India to stand firmly with the Election Commission, not out of flattery, but out of conviction. The society should demand that political actors stop undermining
this vital institution with baseless allegations and theatrical denunciations.”

They further cited measures by other countries to check illegal immigrants.

The EC is yet to probe Rahul’s allegations of voter list manipulation in Karnataka and Haryana.