Tag: Kannan Gopinathan

TN: EC Under Fire After Delay, Cancelled Pressers, Gap in Provisional and Real Turnout Figures

Some constituencies, a TNIE report said, had recorded a variation from seven to 13.5 percentage points between the provisional and the final data, leading to serious concerns.

New Delhi: The very first phase of voting in the Lok Sabha 2024 election has led to questions on the Election Commission’s performance thanks to a significant difference in turnout figures for Tamil Nadu within the course of four hours, which is roughly the time that the poll body took to release figures.

According to a report by The New Indian Express, the Chief Electoral Officer, Satyabrata Sahoo, released the provisional figures of voter turnout for the state, on April 19, at 7.30pm. It was 72.09%.

Within four hours, at 12 am on April 20, the EC had revised the figures to 69.46%.

Some constituencies, the report said, had recorded a variation from seven to 13.5 percentage points, leading to serious concerns.

The report says that the earlier figure, from the poll day, was based on projections from data of a sample of polling stations. The figures of early April 20 were based on actual data from all polling booths, collected and registered by the Returning Officers of the assembly segments on the EC’s online portal Encore.

A report on Deccan Chronicle notes that the Chief Electoral Officer cancelled two press conferences on Saturday, the first at 11 am and the other at 1 pm. Finally, he announced the same figures of 12 am at 7.30 pm.

The final booth-wise turnout figures were not released until Saturday night, TNIE reported, with Sahoo noting during the presser that data entry for each polling station was still underway.

Overall, the EC reported a tentative figure of voter turnout across 21 states and Union territories at over 60% at 7 pm.

The ECI has still not released the final voting percentage for phase 1. At 9:45 pm on April 19, the ECI said that the average voting percentage for all 102 constituencies that went to polls on April 19 was 62.37%, but added that it wasn’t the final figure.

Based on that, political scientist and former psephologist Yogendra Yadav said the lower turnout, and a drop of almost 8 percentage points, reflects not only absence of enthusiasm on the ground but also a lack of a Modi wave. After crunching the seat-wise turnouts, he said that there was a substantial drop (nearly 6%) in turnout in seats held by the NDA and only a 3% drop in those held by non-NDA parties. He believed that the lower turnout in phase one means that almost 76 lakh voters who had voted in 2019 did not exercise their votes in 2024.

’12 days for VVPAT?’

Questions over the EC’s delay with numbers come amidst concerns over the poll body’s words on voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) authentication.

Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan pointed out on X that the EC has told the court that it will take 12 days to count all VVPAT slips.

Gopinathan has pointed out that by the EC’s own admission, it would take an hour to go through every VVPAT machine. “Currently ECI uses only one of the tables to count VVPAT slips out of the 14 tables in the counting hall. Use all 14 and you get 14 VVPATs per hour. And results in 24-36 hours with no additional resource requirement,” he has pointed out.

The Supreme Court last week reserved judgment on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs. The Wire has reported on how experts have questioned some of the arguments put forward in court, pointing out that several pertinent suggestions were overlooked and facetious issues discussed instead.

Analysing the EC’s new FAQ section, expert Venkatesh Nayak had written for The Wire that the levels of transparency that the EC has adopted are hopelessly inadequate to meet the high standards that the Supreme Court has set for our right to know as citizen-voters.

ECI Must Clear Air of Suspicion Over EVM-VVPAT Manipulations Says Former IAS Officer

Kannan Gopinathan has raised doubts over claims that EVMs are ‘stand-alone” machines, after a manual said it is connected to a desktop or laptop to load symbols.

Kolkata: For a while now, concerns have been raised over the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) used by the Election Commission of India (ECI), with some claiming that they could be tampered with or were not reliable.

Adding to these concerns is a new piece of information revealed by former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, raising serious questions over the ECI’s claim that EVMs are stand-alone machines which are neither accessible remotely from any network nor can be connected to any external devices. However, with the introduction of VVPAT, these claims do not hold as these machines are apparently connected to laptops or symbol loading units (SLUs).

VVPATs were inducted into the electoral process in 2013 to provide an additional layer of scrutiny against possible EVM manipulation. They allow physical tallying of votes.

In a series of tweets, Gopinathan claimed that with the addition of the VVPAT mechanism, the voting process became “vulnerable and suspicious” instead of the being strengthened.

Information on the ECI’s website says, “EVMs are stand-alone machines which are not accessible remotely from any network, are connected with any external devices and there is no operating system used in these machines. There is, therefore, absolutely no chance of programming the EVMs in a particular way to select any particular candidate or political party.”

However, the VVPAT user manual prepared by the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the authority of the ECI mentions that a “laptop computer/desktop PC” is required for the commissioning of VVPAT.

Another VVPAT manual presentation prepared by BEL gives detailed instructions as to how the VVPAT is to be connected to a device called symbol loading unit (SLU) and then how the SLU is to be connected to the laptop. It says, “Connect the Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) to PC port marked on SLU with the 9 pin serial cable (BU cable). Select VVPAT M3 in the main menu of the Symbol loading unit. Select ‘Load Symbols from PC’ in the successive menu. Select the COM port and click on Load VVPAT slips in the application of PC/Laptop. Wait for the loading to get completed.” Later the SLU is connected to VVPAT.”

Screenshot of the presentation.

From this, it is clear that an external device (laptop/desktop) is connected to the VVPAT to load symbols. And this is the reason, Gopinathan says, “chance of manipulations increases.”

In the pre-VVPAT era, EVMs [both Ballot Unit (BU) and Controlling Unit (CU)] were truly standalone machines. When the blue button is pressed on the BU, the CU registers a vote. The machine wasn’t aware of the candidate or symbol.

The above scenario does not hold true any longer. When the blue button is pressed on the BU, the VVPATs print the name and symbol of the candidates. So the machine is now aware of which button contains which candidates and what is the symbol. Now the VVPAT registers a vote in the CU.

A manual on commissioning a VVPAT.

VVPATs has a simple processor, a memory and printer unit. It has a memory because serial numbers, names and symbols of the candidates need to be loaded on to it before polling.

“VVPAT has a processor and a programmable memory. If it has a processor and a programmable memory, there is a chance that it can be manipulated. The system is therefore not foolproof,” said Gopinathan.

In a presentation in 2019, the ECI claimed that BUs and CUs can only communicate among themselves and will go into error mode if connected to any other machine. Gopinath asked if that is so, how are EVMs working even after the introduction of VVPAT machines.

A 2019 presentation by the ECI about EVMs.

The ECI has maintained that their EVMs are robust and tamper-proof and even the manufacturers cannot manipulate them at the time of production. But strangely, the ECI has not responded to concerns raised by Gopinathan, journalists and civil society activists.

In the light of Gopinathan’s claims, The Wire tried to contact ECI spokesperson Sheyphali Sharan to clear the air but she could not be reached. A questionnaire was sent to the ECI via e-mail. The story will be updated if and when a response is received. The Wire asked:

1) if EVMs are stand-alone machines and not connected to any external device. How is the Symbol Loading Machine (SLU) connected to it then?

2) if EVMs have one time programmable (OTP) chips and it cannot be re-written/modified/erased, how and where are the symbols and names of candidates stored, which the VVPATs print?

3) if BUs and CUs can only communicate among themselves and will go into error mode if connected to any other machine. How after the introduction of VVPAT, EVMs are still working?

“If I am wrong in any of my statements, ECI has the duty to counter me & prove me wrong. And if there is truth to what I am saying, then acknowledge it & take steps to improve. The whole process of election is based on trust. People of India trust ECI, so for sake of people and to uphold the trust, the commission must clarify,” said Gopinathan.

Last month, the Citizens’ Commission on Elections (CCE), a civil society group of retired judges, former civil servants, university professors, senior journalists and activists, while releasing a report on the ‘fallibility’ or ‘vulnerability’ of EVMs and VVPATs said “EVM voting should abide by principles of democracy.”

Also Read: Citizens’ Group Highlights Vulnerability of EVMs, Calls for Greater Clarity in Poll Process

M.G. Devasahayam, the co-ordinator of the Commission, had told The Wire, “In recent years, India’s democracy has been called into question by international watchdogs.” He said the group is advocating the right to a free and fair election. “The electorate must verify their votes as people are sovereign in this republic. With this report, we are trying to make people aware of the current electoral process and what needs to be done to ensure voters’ confidence,” he had said.

Speaking to The Wire, former chief election commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy said, “If the information is not comprising the inherent security mechanism of the system, the ECI can certainly clarify these issues to satisfy the public and political parties.”

Another former chief election commissioner N. Gopalaswami told The Wire, “It has not convincingly been proven anywhere that the machine can be tampered with. It is all in the realm of imagination. If for every imagination, the election commission has to answer, they will not be able to conduct elections and will keep answering all these imaginary allegations.”

Cybersecurity researcher Sandeep Shukla, after going through the document furnished by Gopinathan, said “The VVPAT unit is connected to a PC to load candidate names and symbols using a software. The VVPAT is then connected via data cable to both the CU and BU. Now, the question is who tests the security of the application and the PC connected to the VVPAT while symbol loading? Do the election officers have adequate knowledge?”

Shukla further observed that if during the process of loading symbols, the VVPAT memory gets a “memory resident short program” to manipulate the BU, then through the data cable connecting the VVPAT to the BU controlling can be done.

“This may or may not be possible depending on the processor and drivers in the BU. But the question definitely arises in the mind, whether the idea of connecting a machine with the BU and the CU with data cables where the machine was connected to a PC would have guaranteed security? Note that I am not saying the scenario which I think is real, but is a possibility. An opaque system defeats the purpose of universal franchise,” Shukla told The Wire.

FIR Against Prashant Bhushan, Kannan Gopinathan in Gujarat

Gopinathan said such action, in the middle of a pandemic, only reveals the Modi government’s priorities.

New Delhi: The Gujarat police, upon the complaint of retired army jawan Jaydev Joshi in Rajkot, have filed an FIR against lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan and former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan for ‘hurting religious sentiments’ and ‘commenting on government orders’. respectively.

The details of the FIR have not been disclosed.

Speaking to The Wire, Kannan Gopinathan said, “I don’t even have the details of what the FIR is about. I’ve got information only from the media which says I’ve been booked for posting some government orders on social media to mislead people. I’ve no idea which order is the FIR about and whichever order be it, if government orders mislead people what could be done?”

“There has to be a basic verification before filing an FIR. It’s not that someone complains and the police immediately file an FIR. And it’s not just me, a journalist has also been booked. Does that mean people should not share government orders to put out their opinion on it?” he added.

The Bhaktinagar police station in Gujarat’s Rajkot registered an FIR on Sunday evening. Following this, investigation was transferred to the special operations group (SOG).

Gopinathan says the conduct of the police has revealed the priorities of the Modi government.

News editor at National Herald Ashlin Mathew has also been booked along with Gopinathan, allegedly for sharing the same government order.

“During this time, when so much is happening in the country, just look at how the government is using its resources to look into stuff like this, even consider them, file an FIR, investigate and transfer it to SOG. Just imagine, the priorities of this government,” added Gopinathan.

Also read: NIA Court Sends Anand Teltumbde to 4-Day Custody; Gautam Navlakha Also in Custody

Prashant Bhushan has been booked for allegedly using objectionable language against the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

“In his complaint, Joshi accused Bhushan of using word opium with Ramayana and Mahabharata in a tweet made on March 28 which has hurt the sentiments of many Hindu people,” said Rohit Rawal, SOG’s investigating offer in the case.

“As crores starve & walk hundreds of miles home due to forced lockdown, our heartless ministers celebrate consuming & feeding the opium of Ramayana & Mahabharata to the people,” reads Bhushan’s tweet.

“On the basis of the complaint, we have registered a case against the trio under section 34 (criminal act done by several persons), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or the religious beliefs), 505(1) (publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report which can cause fear and alarm amongst people) and section 120 -B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. We are verifying the tweet. Further investigation is on,” added Rawal.

Gopinathan added that this FIR would not stop him from putting out his opinion.

“My writing on various actions the government is taking during COVID-19 would continue despite any of such acts. There is nothing that can stop it. It’s my freedom of expression and it is my duty to share whatever my opinion and suggestion with the public on what should be done and what should be avoided during this crisis,” said Gopinathan.

“One of the report in a Gujarati newspaper suggested that I’ve apparently retweeted Prashant Bhushan’s tweet but that is not the case. Even if I had retweeted that, how could it become a crime. How does it become a crime of I write something about the government order? How does it become a crime if I retweet something?” he added.

Gopinathan had recently shared a government order in which he was being asked to join duty immediately in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and wrote, “Received a letter from the govt, asking me to re-join duties as IAS. While I extend all my services, in health, wealth and mind to the govt in this fight against covid-19 pandemic, it will be as a free & responsible citizen and not anymore as an IAS officer.”

‘Rs 100/Day in Jan Dhan Accounts, More Testing, More CSR’: The Speech That Could Have Been

Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan pens a ‘What Could Have Been’ speech on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Delhi: Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech announcing a nationwide three-week lockdown on Tuesday night, former Indian Administrative Service officer Kannan Gopinathan tweeted ‘the speech that could have been’.

In this imagined speech, Gopinathan listed out measures the government would take to ensure that COVID-19 does not spread further and is properly treated. He also talked about income transfers for poor sections, so that the loss of livelihood does not affect them dramatically.

Modi had mentioned none of this in his real speech. He even failed to reiterate that essential services would remain open or detail what the government would do to ensure food supply – leading to panic buying, crowding and chaos at market places on Tuesday night.

Below is the full text of the speech Gopinathan wished Modi had made.

§

Countrymen, as you all know we are going through a tough time. But through our collective resolve we can, and we shall overcome this. And your govt is going to stand with you, morally, physically and financially at every step during this crisis.

Till today we have tested close to 20,000 cases in India, out of which ~500 cases have turned positive. Even though ICMR has assured that community spread has not begun in India yet, the government is aware of the gaps and has given strict instructions to scale up the testing.

From tomorrow we hope to be testing 10,000 samples per day. Mobile preliminary testing facilities are also expected to be up by tomorrow. You may call XXXXXXXXX number for telephonic diagnostics and for screening at the nearest location.

Today I had a detailed review with all the chief ministers along with the Union health minister and his team on the immediate requirement of health infrastructure and availability at district and state level.

Let me assure you that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure an isolation ward with sufficient facilities in each district. The details of the facilities available are accessible at this website.

Also read: Despite Being an ‘Essential Service’, E-Commerce Deliveries Come to a Grinding Halt

I appeal to all my fellow citizens to check the details of your district at the website. You can also find the requirements populated there. If you are in a position to help, do get in touch with the contacts mentioned there and provide necessary assistance.

To all my corporate friends, the CSR guidelines have been relaxed to encourage more CSR spending this year. Any expenditure beyond 2% towards CoronaFund either at the national, state or district level shall be allowed to be carried forward to coming years at double the rate.

After taking advice of the experts in the field and consulting with all the state governments, it is evident that we need to enforce social distancing as much as possible for at least the next 21 days to prevent the virus from spreading to an unimaginable scale.

While it would be impossible to compensate for all the losses, your govt has decided to immediately start daily allowance of Rs 100 per day to all active JDY accounts with average balance less than 5,000 during the period of lock-down. BOCWs to deposit Rs 2100 to worker accounts.

Government would take all necessary measures for procurement from farmers. Also, advance payment of next year’s PM-KISAN instalments shall be made to all eligible accounts immediately.

MGNREGA workers shall be paid wages for 21 days directly to their account and shall be adjusted against next year’s man-days. All contractual staff engaged with government shall be considered to be on duty during the period of lock-down and their payment done as earlier.

We are charting out detailed assistance plan for industries, especially MSMEs, and I want to assure them that this Govt would leave no stone unturned to help them tide out this crisis. Various steps including delayed payments for all bills & taxes are being considered.

Watch: What Can the Govt Do to Mitigate an Economic Catastrophe During a Pandemic?

Government is also in discussion with RBI for possible liquidity infusion at the earliest. We may have to live with slightly higher inflation for a while. But that is a cost worth paying in the short term to tackle what is an unexpected health and economic crisis.

But my dear citizens, all these steps are of help only if we overcome this pandemic together. And the only way we can do so is by delaying the spread through social distancing. This gives us time to scale up health facilities to deal with any eventuality that may come up.

So, in the interest of our collective health and well-being we are going to go into a nation-wide lock-down from 00:00 hrs tonight. Necessary orders under disaster management act shall follow.

I urge up on all to not panic. Essential supplies shall be made available throughout and all essential services shall also continue. Detailed guidelines shall be as mentioned in the order. But remember, it is important that we avoid all unnecessary travel and interactions.

To conclude, let me thank all opposition parties, chief ministers, ministerial colleagues and staff, international organisations, healthcare and emergency workers, and each one of you, for coming together & extending all possible support to fight this pandemic. We shall win. Jai Hind.

MHA Sends IAS Officer Who Quit Over Kashmir Issue a ‘Chargesheet’

The accusations in the chargesheet are the same as those in a memo calling for an inquiry into Kannan Gopinathan two months after his resignation.

New Delhi: Kannan Gopinathan, the IAS officer from Kerala who resigned from service in August over the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the Centre’s August 5 decision, has tweeted about a chargesheet filed against him by the Union home ministry.

Gopinathan tweeted that he first received a call from Daman administration, asking for his address so the missive can be sent to him. He said it was eventually emailed to him and tweeted that he ‘acknowledged receipt’.

Calling the mail a failure of the ‘targeted harassment’ the dispensation is capable of, Gopinathan also, notably, took the opportunity to harness the police and lawyers’ tussle at the Tis Hazari court in New Delhi and said he did not wish to bother Shah at a time as “weak” as this.

Gopinathan tweeted that the charges in the ‘chargesheet’ correspond to those in the memorandum issued for a departmental inquiry roughly two months after he submitted his resignation to the services.

As can be seen in the photograph he tweeted below, the charges amount to ‘dilatory tactics’ and ‘insubordination’ while he was collector of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Three of the causes delineated for initiation of the inquiry have to do with submissions (or not) of files.


In customary style, the former IAS officer has been mocking in his criticism of the home ministry and Union home minister Amit Shah over the matter. The memorandum warns him of utilising political influence to further his cause or interests – a fact which Gopinathan made an example of to ask Shah to restore peace in Kashmir.

The charges against him also include the creation of an adverse image of the government services through his talks with the media. Among other news organisations, Gopinathan has spoken to The Wire too in the wake of his resignation.

“This is not Yemen, this is not the 1970s, that you can deny basic rights to an entire people and nobody will say anything about it,” Gopinathan had told The Wire then.

Also read: ‘This is Not the 1970s’: IAS Officer Quits in Anguish Over Kashmir ‘Emergency’

“It is your actions that creates such an image. Not my interactions,” he tweeted in response to the charges. Gopinathan has also tweeted his detailed responses to the charges levelled against him.

Late in September, Gopinathan was barred from visiting the Jaykar Knowledge Resource Centre (JKRC) – the library at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). While university students had wanted him to visit the library, Gopinathan was stopped over “procedural” requirements.

Daman: Section 144 Imposed, Two Government Schools Converted Into ‘Temporary Jails’

The action was taken after a clampdown on those protesting against eviction from government land.

New Delhi: Close to 70 people, who were protesting against their eviction from government land were detained by the police in the Union Territory of Daman on Sunday.

According to the Times of India, authorities demolished 120 illegal structures and houses built along a 700-metre stretch from Mato Daman Lighthouse to Jampore beach on the instructions of district collector Rakesh Minhas. Citizens have been protesting against the action for the past two days.

Kannan Gopinathan, the IAS officer who resigned on August 21 protesting the continuing clampdown in Kashmir, tweeted an image of the copy of an order dated November 3, 2019, from the district magistrate of Daman Rakesh Minhas declaring that the Government High School of Bhimpore, Nani Daman and the Government High School, Moti Daman would be converted into jails with immediate effect.

Gopinathan also tweeted another copy of an order from the district magistrate of Daman dated November 3, 2019, that imposed section 144 of the CrPC in the entire Daman district. The former IAS officer had previously been posted at the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Also read: Historically, UTs Become States. Now the Centre Is Reversing That Trend in J&K.

According to the order from the office of the collector, dharnas caused “inconvenience to the general public” and adversely affected the “smooth flow of vehicular traffic” and the “smooth working of the offices and public in general”.

As per the order, which is to be in force for a period of seven days commencing from November 3, dharnas or gatherings of more than five people by any private association or political party were strictly forbidden with “a view to avoid any untoward incident or law and order problem”. The order further states that those contravening it will be punished under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

The order comes after police used lathicharge and water cannons to quell the protestors on both the days of the protest, according to TOI.

A source at the Daman collectorate told TOI, “We [are] trying to identify the real miscreants. We will take action against them once they are identified. The situation is under control.”

While incidents of encroachment by the government have been on the rise in Daman, prior to this incident, no serious action was taken against the encroachers by the Daman administration.

IAS Officer Who Quit Over Kashmir Issue Stopped From Visiting Pune Varsity Library

Library officials at Savitribai Phule Pune University said that by asking for an application for Kannan Gopinathan’s visit, the institute was merely following procedure.

New Delhi: Kannan Gopinathan, the IAS officer from Kerala who resigned late last month in order to be able to speak freely about the virtual ‘Emergency’ in Kashmir, was on Monday barred from visiting Jaykar Knowledge Resource Centre (JKRC) – the library at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).

The idea of Gopinathan visiting was dropped after a confrontation between students and library officials.

According to the Indian Express, while the university students wanted him to visit the library, Gopinathan was stopped over “procedural” requirements. Aparna Rajendra, director-in-charge of JKRC, told the daily that by asking for an application for the officer’s visit, the institute was merely following procedure.

“We would have happily shown him the library, but since the reading hall is also used by other students, holding a public talk or lecture there would not have been possible,” Rajendra was quoted as saying. The public lecture, she said, “would have disturbed the other students.”

She further said that the university wasn’t given prior intimation about Gopinathan’s visit. “Visits involving high-ranking officers require official communication made through the registrar’s office. So I advised the students to submit an application for this, which is part of maintaining our record,” she said.

Students, on their part, expressed confusion over why library officials had insisted on an application and claimed that they had behaved rudely.

Also read: ‘This is Not the 1970s’: IAS Officer Quits in Anguish Over Kashmir ‘Emergency’

“The official did not inform us why the application was required. We didn’t know the official procedure but would have followed it. But we were upset at the manner in which the library officials spoke to us,” Kamalakar Chandrakala, a second-year commerce student of SPPU was quoted by Indian Express as saying.

Gopinathan told the English daily that he was visiting the SPPU campus on Monday as part of exploring Pune. The students wanted him to see the library but after the “conversation between students and the library official got into a confrontational mode, we decided not to escalate the matter further and dropped the idea of visiting the library,” he said.

The students then held an informal session with Gopinathan at the Pune university’s canteen.

Last month, Gopinathan had resigned from the prestigious service “in order to speak freely” about the Centre’s actions in Kashmir. “This is not Yemen, this is not the 1970s, that you can deny basic rights to an entire people and nobody will say anything about it,” Gopinathan told The Wire last month.

VVPATs Can Be Hacked, Says Former IAS Officer in Series of Tweets

Kannan Gopinathan has tweeted at length on why he believes that VVPATs may get hacked since they have a programmable memory and are inducted after candidates are decided.

New Delhi: Former Indian Administrative Service officer Kannan Gopinathan, who recently quit the service citing growing disillusionment particularly over the restrictions imposed on Jammu and Kashmir, has now raised serious questions about the electoral process having been compromised with the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines.

VVPATs were inducted into the process to provide an additional buffer against the manipulation of the electoral process by allowing physical tallying of votes.

The Election Commission has, in the past, maintained that its system could not be hacked into as it was not connected to the internet and as Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are kept in a secure environment.

But through a series of tweets today, Gopinathan gave a detailed account of how the voting process has allegedly become vulnerable and prone to hacking due to the introduction of the VVPATs. This, he said, was the case because the VVPAT, which possesses a “programmable memory”, now connects the ballot unit to the control unit, that earlier formed the EVM.

Also read: VVPAT Verification: The Supreme Court Must Defend Democracy

Drawing from his past observations on the issue while he was still in service, Gopinathan said “by introducing VVPATs, we have created so much vulnerability in an otherwise fool-proof process”. He said there was an urgent need to address this.

He began by saying that “the fact that so many VVPAT slip countings [have] tallied with EVMs does instil a lot of confidence that such a manipulation wouldn’t have happened in the past. But we cannot and should not leave elections of the largest democracy in the world to even the slightest of the chances.”

He also tweeted that no chances should be taken with the election process.

“So, you might remember my spirited defence of EVMs. I still stand by it, except that my first election with VVPAT has taken away my trust. VVPAT has created a hole in the EVM armour [and] made the process amenable to hacking,” wrote Gopinathan who also tagged former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi and Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa in his tweet.

Gopinathan said all his references and photographs were from the ECI manual on EVMs and VVPATs, available for download from the ECI site.

When people responded to his tweets asking why he was raising the issue now and why he did not do so while he was in service, Gopinathan said: “I did raise it on two occasions: During the ECI training of Returning Officers at the IIIDEM, and later at the time of commissioning with ECIL.”

Ballot unit now connected to control unit through VVPAT

Gopinathan further said the crucial difference now is that it is the VVPAT which communicates with the control unit.

He further wrote that VVPAT now controls what is shown on the paper slips and what gets registered on the control unit.

Gopinathan also pointed to a “design flaw in the system”.

Manipulating VVPATs

He went on to state that with the new design, the “whole process can be vitiated by manipulating the VVPAT(s)”.

Gopinathan then asked: “Question now is whether VVPAT can be manipulated? If it can be, then how and when in the process. And if it is, then do we have a foolproof process check.”

He also gave out details of what VVPAT was saying, “As I understand, VVPAT is a simple processor, a memory and a printer unit. It has a memory because serial numbers, names and symbols of the candidates need to be loaded on to it before the elections, so that it gets printed in the paper slip.”

‘It can be hacked’

“So,” he added, “VVPAT has a processor, and has a programmable memory, and it is what registers vote in the control unit. And if it has a processor and a programmable memory, it can be hacked. Any malware downloaded on to it can cause the entire system to misbehave.”

Gopinathan also argued that the “strongest defence any election officer has had to the question of ‘What if the CU is already programmed/hacked before it comes to you’ was that ‘But they wouldn’t know the sequence of candidates. So whatever they may program, they wouldn’t know who is at what number!’”

Also read: BEL Refuses to Disclose EVM, VVPAT Data Even After Demanding Fees. What Does It Mean?

But now, he said, this has changed. “And that fool-proof check is what we have compromised with the introduction of VVPAT,” he added.

Gopinathan, who recently resigned from IAS, then explained how the entire system has now become vulnerable. He said “symbols are loaded on to the VVPAT by the engineers from their laptops/ jigs after the candidates are finalised. VVPATs are connected to external devices after candidate sequence is known!”

Therefore, he reasoned, “When one can access the VVPAT after the candidate sequence is known, and can connect a laptop/ computer/ Symbol Loading Jig, is precisely when one can load a malware also into the VVPAT.”. Therefore, he said, “this access should not have been provided.”

Stating that this answers when the system can be hacked.

‘Access to EVMs also compromised’

But, he reasoned, that “by allowing external devices to be brought to the commissioning room, and allowing it to be connected to VVPAT, we have foregone this defence too.”

Gopinathan also raised the issue of how the system can be hacked. He explained in detail the possibility.


But, he asked, what if VVPAT “sends something else to the CU”.


Is there a foolproof check?

Coming to the question of is there a foolproof check, Gopinathan wrote: “Ideally, since such a new device has been inserted in between two devices, the verification and tallying should be done at both the ends for every vote.”


Therefore, he said, “even if we find an inconsistency, current procedure simply says go as per the VVPAT count for that particular EVM. So if one is to manipulate only a few EVMs and not all through VVPATs, the chances of getting caught are less, and even if caught, it will be seen as a one-off error.”

‘Mock polls can act as check’

Gopinathan said randomisation would be “completely ineffective here as the access of VVPAT to external devices is given after it is allotted to the constituency. So it doesn’t matter which EVM is going to which PS after randomisation.”

As for the other check of mock polls, he said, there are two of them following commissioning of EVMs or after candidates sequence is loaded.

In one of these, he said, mock-poll of 1000 votes on random 5% of EVM is done at the time of commissioning, and in the other a mock-poll of 50 votes at the polling station (PS) is performed on the day of voting.

With the 1000 vote poll, he said it is not fool proof because “if one is attempting to manipulate only a few EVMs, the chances of it getting caught are less. And even if caught, it is seen as a malfunction and the EVM is set aside.”

As for the 50 vote poll done on the day of poll, Gopinathan insisted that it is “not a check at all”.

On the reasons for the apprehension, he said: “If it is known that in every EVM first 50 votes will be tallied on the spot, you write your code such that it starts manipulating only after say a 100 votes.”

In such a scenario, he said, there would be “no chance of getting caught there.”

The Election Commission spokesperson in response to a query around concerns raised by Gopinathan said on the panel’s WhatApp group that “inputs” in the matter were awaited.

Commenting on the development, former chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi told The Wire, “If so many concerns and doubts are being raised around EVMs and VVPATs from so many quarters, the Election Commission should dispel them promptly, as it has always done in the past.”

EC’s response

Responding to the article, Election Commission ADG Sheyphali Sharan said:

“Mr Kannan Gopinathan, IAS (2012) who resigned recently was District Election Officer (DEO) and Returning Officer (RO) in Dadra & Nagar Haveli Parliamentary Constituency which has 304 polling stations. It would be recalled that the number of polling stations in 2019 Lok Sabha elections pan-India were around 10.36 lakh.

There was no document available where he has at any point of time sent any written analysis on the issue which he is now raising immediately post his resignation.

In answer to something to this effect in his tweets he said that he raised the issue in some internal meeting.

In meetings taken by CEOs several issues are mentioned, as they should be, by the DEOs and ROs. However, there is a difference between anecdotal mentioning of an issue and the mentioning backed by a written report raising any kind of doubts as the issue that he is now suddenly raising immediately after resigning.

Nonetheless a more rigorous scrutiny even of this is being got done.

It would be recalled that 1.25 crore VVPAT slips that were counted and matched with the EVM count not a single case of transfer of vote from one candidate to another has been found.”

Note: This article was updated with the EC spokesperson’s response at 8 am on September 26.

‘Building Blocks of Democracy Are Being Compromised’: Another IAS Officer Quits

S. Senthil Kumar felt that “the coming days will present extremely difficult challenges” to the basic fabric of the country.

New Delhi: Another IAS officer has quit the service, saying it was “unethical” for him to continue as a civil servant when “the fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy are being compromised” and that it simply “cannot be business as usual anymore”.

S. Sasikanth Senthil, a 2009 batch Karnataka IAS officer, was the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district. Late last month, IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan also resigned, citing the government’s continued clampdown on communication in Kashmir.

In his resignation letter, Senthil wrote:

“I also feel strongly that the coming days will present extremely difficult challenges to the basic fabric of our nation and that I would be better off outside the IAS to continue with my work at making life better for all.”

The 40-year-old, who is from Tamil Nadu, said his decision “is purely a personal one” and denied it had any connection to his work as the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada. He concluded his letter by expressing his “heartfelt gratitude” for all who have worked with him

Also Read: ‘This is Not the 1970s’: IAS Officer Quits in Anguish Over Kashmir ‘Emergency’

Senthil took charge as deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada in June 2017, The Hindu reported. He has previously worked as an assistant commissioner in Ballari between 2009 and 2012 and was the chief executive officer of Shivamogga Zilla Panchayat for two terms. The IAS officer also the deputy commissioner of Chitradurga and Raichur districts. Senthil was the director in the mines and geology department since November 2016.

S. Senthil Kumar’s resignation note. Photo: Social media

Kannan Gopinathan, attached to the government of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, resigned from the IAS on August 21. Speaking to The Wire, he said he was opposed to the suspension of freedoms in Kashmir. “Of course, unlike the Emergency, there has been no [formal] proclamation. Everything has been left to executive orders by IAS officers! And though people are not barred from seeking judicial remedies, the courts do not appear keen to act”.

He received orders to report back to duty, but refused to do so, calling his resignation a “closed matter”.

No Intention to Return, Says IAS Officer Who Quit Over Kashmir Restrictions

Kannan Gopinathan had received a notice asking him to report back to duty, something he is not willing to do.

New Delhi: IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan remains firm over his decision to resign from the service, after he received a notice from the personnel department on August 27 to report back to duty. The Malayali IAS officer had submitted his resignation on August 21 after the Centre decision to impose restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir after the state’s special status was revoked.

On Thursday, speaking to The News Minute, he said he does not intend to get back to the service and will be moving out of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, where he was posted. He was the secretary of power, urban development and agriculture in the UT. According to reports, the notice asking him to report back to duty was pasted on his house because he was not present at the time.

Kannan told the news website that the notice issued to him was “procedural” and that his resignation has not been accepted or rejected. “The government can keep a resignation pending for three or five years, without either rejecting or accepting it. That is not fair. If we approach court there are sufficient provisions to prove it is the right of an officer to resign,” he said.

He told The News Minute that he does not intend to get back into service.”Neither do I want to resume duty,” he said, calling his resignation a “closed” matter.

According to the Indian Express, the IAS officer, who is from Kerala, said that he returned to his house in Silvassa late on Wednesday and learnt about the notice. “I have gone public with my opinion and I strongly remain firm…It might not be appropriate for me to join duties at same place during this intervening (processing) period,” he said.

Gopinathan said that because he does not intend to resume duty, his refusal would be considered as unauthorised leave.

Also Read: ‘Efforts Being Made to Discredit Me’: IAS Officer Who Resigned Over Kashmir Restrictions

Earlier, speaking to The Wire, Gopinathan compared the restrictions imposed upon Kashmir with the Emergency. “This is not Yemen, this is not the 1970s, that you can deny basic rights to an entire people and nobody will say anything about it,” Gopinathan said. He said he could not remain silent over the restrictions, even if it meant that he had to resign from the IAS to speak freely. Restrictions continue to be imposed on the region, more than three weeks after parliament approved the revocation of special status and divided Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

He told The Wire that he had felt a growing sense of disillusionment with the civil service for some time. Gopinathan said he was especially frustrated by politicians’ expectation that civil servants should only concern themselves with implementing instructions without analysing what is morally right or wrong.

In an interview , he said told The Wire he believes the right to life exists with the right to liberty. “Locking up people and telling them it’s for their own good is difficult to justify,” he said. Citing the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Gopinathan said he was bothered by the Indian government’s refusal to allow free expression and dissent.

The IAS officer also said he has not thought of any “concrete plans” for the future yet. “I’ll have to work somewhere to earn a living. The exposure I got from my resignation is enough for me to connect with more people and keep working for them,” he told The Wire.