New Delhi, Oct. 10 -- As allegations of electoral irregularities continue to spark political debate, 124 former IAS, IFS and allied services officers have issued an open letter defending the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, questioning claims of vote rigging without credible evidence.

In their letter to the citizens of India, the former officers said the country's electoral system had undergone a significant transformation from the era of booth capturing, ballot box stuffing and election-related violence. They highlighted safeguards such as polling agents, sealing of electronic voting machines (EVMs), strong-room security and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verific...