The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday said every officer in the institution is "fully authorised" to offer suggestions for improving the electoral system, while underlining that several "unanimous decisions" have been taken by the poll body in recent months.
The Commission said that differing views, observations, and suggestions are a normal part of deliberations within any institution and pointed out that the decision-making process involves not only the three Election Commissioners but also officials across the organisation.
The poll panel said it has introduced around 40 new initiatives and undertaken several electoral reforms, including electoral roll revision, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), across the country, with the agreement of all authorised officers.
The latest controversy comes after a leading daily published an investigative report claiming that on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months, two Election Commissioners had objected on record to steps taken by the Commission.
According to the report, the objections related to a range of decisions and processes, including allegations that the Commissioners were kept in the dark about certain matters as well as issues concerning the addition of new voters and deletion of names from electoral rolls.
In a statement, the Election Commission said: "The ECI is a constitutional body that functions under the strict mandate of Article 324 of the Constitution, statutory rules and established institutional conventions. The Commission operates as a multi-member constitutional body. Written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks-and-balances are standard, ongoing practices designed to ensure complete transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour. All actions of the ECI have been in accordance with the laws and instructions of the Commission."
On concerns relating to its digital platforms and electoral data, the ECI said its systems are protected by established security protocols and statutory authorities continue to exercise their powers under the law.
"The Commission's digital platforms, such as ECINet, operate under strict data security protocols to prevent unauthorised tampering, manipulation, etc. IT security checks and audit controls are standard cybersecurity measures implemented across national databases. Statutory authorities, including Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and District Election Officers (DEOs), function as per statutory powers for registration and deletion under law," the statement read.
The Election Commission reiterated that it remains committed to carrying out its constitutional responsibilities and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.
--IANS
