India, Oct. 10 -- After 42 former judges raised concerns over what they described as a sustained campaign against the Election Commission of India (ECI), 124 former bureaucrats have written an open letter defending the poll body amid allegations of irregularities in the electoral process.

In their letter to the citizens of India, the 124 former IAS, IFS and allied services 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, the sealing of electronic voting machines (EVMs), strong-room security and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification.

The letter com...