81 Former Government Officials Write To President Raising Concerns Over Vested Interests Targeting EC

A group of former bureaucrats, defence officers, judges, and other prominent persons communicated a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind yesterday (16 April) raising concerns about the alleged attempts of a different group of ex-IAS officers to attack the credibility of the Election Commission (EC), reports DNA.

The letter has been signed by 81 ex-officials/prominent persons in total, with the group’s effort being led by former Delhi Police Commissioner R S Gupta. The communication asserts that ‘slurs’ have been used against the election oversight body, and doubts are being created on its capacity to conduct free and fair elections.

Previously, a group of former bureaucrats led by retired IAS officer Salahuddin Ahmad had accused the EC of not taking necessary action on complaints of violations of the model code of conduct.

The letter sent by the group led by Gupta has come out strongly in support of the EC in their letter, stating, "We have come to express concerns over attempts being made by certain groups to discredit the EC, which has been time-tested and has great credibility not just in India, but all across the world."

They claim that this then leads to a suspicion that an intentional effort is being made by some groups who have ‘vested interests’ to deride democratic institutions of the country and undermine their standing.