In the open letter, the former bureaucrats said India's electoral system had become plagued by booth capturing, ballot tampering, and electoral violence. They defended the SIR.
Former bureaucrats' open letter to the nation
Amid the CJP protests in Delhi, 124 former IAS and IFS officers issued an open letter to the nation defending the Election Commission (EC) and the Special Investigation Team (SIR). The letter stated that if election fraud was committed, credible evidence should be presented. Citing data on security measures in the electoral process, past election results, and the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, these officials challenged those questioning the credibility of the EC and Special Investigation Team (SIR) .
Officials said India's electoral system has moved beyond booth capturing, ballot box tampering, and electoral violence. The letter highlighted security improvements in the current electoral system, including sealing of electronic voting machines (EVMs), strong-room security, and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) verification. Referring to the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, officials said there was no re-poll and that it was the highest voter turnout since 1951.
Former bureaucrats defend SIR
Former officials questioned why, when a party wins an election, the same system is considered fair, but when it loses, it is labeled "fixed" or "rigged." They cited examples such as the Election Commission's handling of the system, which has seen the ruling party lose elections in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Jammu and Kashmir, and even lose its majority in 2024.
The letter states that officials witnessed the true meaning of "rigging" during the era of guns, the fear of strongmen, the looting of ballot boxes, and booth capturing. Parliament criminalized these practices in 1989. Citing the 2025 Bihar elections, the letter states that for the first time, elections were held peacefully without re-polls, with the highest voter turnout since 1951, and a record number of women voting.
The former bureaucrats said, "In a democracy, every citizen has the right to raise questions, but it is the responsibility of the accuser to prove the allegations. Allegations made in the air through a press conference cannot be verified or answered. If anyone has any objections, they should file an election petition with an affidavit."
Referring to the SIR conducted in Bihar, the letter stated that the voter list in Bihar had not been updated since 2003. The investigation revealed approximately 2.2 million dead voters, 700,000 duplicate names, and millions of people who had permanently migrated. Cleaning the voter list is aimed at preventing fraud, not at taking away anyone's rights. The process for removing names was transparent, and the Supreme Court upheld the Commission's powers on May 27, 2026.
Appeal in support of Booth Level Officers (BLOs)
The letter appealed to the public not to label the honest work of Anganwadi workers, teachers, and booth-level officers (BLOs) who go door-to-door as "fraud" without proof. Creating the illusion that the public has "wasted their vote" without evidence is merely an attempt to undermine democracy and maintain political relevance.
