Story perspectives

Election Commission Tells Supreme Court ECINet Orders Unanimous

By Drooid · Oct 27, 2026, 4:25 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Jairam Ramesh Accuses

India’s Election Commission told the Supreme Court all SIR orders were unanimously approved.
Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu filed affidavit citing orders dated June 24 2025, Oct 27 2025, May 14 2026.
ECINet permits modifications only by order of the Electoral Registration Officer, not commissioners.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the affidavit deceptive, deceitful and duplicitous.
Ramesh alleged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar acted unilaterally, centralising the Electoral Registration Network (ECINet) over Electoral Registration Officers.

Summary

Election Commission Refuses

The Election Commission denied an RTI request for the SIR software, citing confidence and trade-secret exemptions.
The Commission invoked RTI Act Section 8(1)(d) and (g), saying disclosure would jeopardise safety and security.
On October 14, a panel of IIT-Madras and IISc-Bengaluru experts was formed to audit ECINet’s compliance.
Opposition leaders allege the undisclosed system, reportedly built by Tata Consultancy Services, enables massive centralised manipulation.

History

Historical Context

In the 1999 Indian general election, the Election Commission of India deployed electronic voting machines nationwide, marking the first large-scale digital voting rollout. The Commission, under Chief Election Commissioner J. M. Lyngdoh, installed roughly 2.5 million EVMs, and the Supreme Court later upheld their legality in a 2002 judgment. Today's disputes over the ECINet system, challenged by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and scrutinized by an IIT-Madras/IISc panel, echo those earlier concerns about centralized technology and transparency. The 1999 rollout demonstrated how judicial endorsement can legitimize electoral tech, suggesting that current legal battles may set precedents shaping India’s future voting infrastructure.

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Jairam Ramesh Accuses

India’s Election Commission told the Supreme Court all SIR orders were unanimously approved.
Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu filed affidavit citing orders dated June 24 2025, Oct 27 2025, May 14 2026.
ECINet permits modifications only by order of the Electoral Registration Officer, not commissioners.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the affidavit deceptive, deceitful and duplicitous.
Ramesh alleged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar acted unilaterally, centralising the Electoral Registration Network (ECINet) over Electoral Registration Officers.

1 / 3