Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Amid intensifying Opposition protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, 42 former judges have issued a strongly worded open letter expressing grave concern over what they described as a sustained campaign to undermine the Election Commission, the judiciary and other constitutional institutions.
The signatories questioned allegations of “vote theft” made without supporting evidence and warned that repeatedly branding constitutional authorities as “thieves” and “compromised” could erode public trust in democratic institutions.
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“Criticism of institutions is a democratic right. Denigration is not,” the letter stated.
The former judges also defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, describing it as a legally established exercise aimed at ensuring clean and accurate voter lists. They warned that attempts to delegitimise elections could fuel unrest and embolden “anarchic elements”, stressing that “trust is the currency of democracy”.
The signatories urged political parties to raise their grievances through established legal and constitutional mechanisms, saying electoral disputes should be addressed through due process rather than by casting doubt on constitutional institutions and electoral processes.
The prominent names who signed the letter include former Supreme Court judges Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Pankaj Mittal, former Delhi High Court judge Justice SN Dhingra, former Delhi High Court Chief Justice BC Patel and former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee among others.
The former judge’s open support for the Election Commission comes as Opposition parties intensify their protests, with INDIA bloc leaders taking to the streets on Thursday, the third day of their continued agitation in the national capital. The Opposition anger against CEC Gyanesh Kumar renewed recently following allegations that several decisions, including those concerning the SIR, were taken arbitrarily by him, with the other two Commissioners dissenting on at least 14 occasions over 10 months.
The Opposition parties are demanding Kumar’s resignation, accusing him of plotting the deletion of a large number of eligible voters from electoral rolls to benefit the BJP. As part of their protests, Opposition leaders also attempted to march towards the Election Commission headquarters on Tuesday, but were stopped by police, resulting in a nearly nine-hour-long standoff.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
