26 May 2024: In a significant move, more than 100 former civil servants from both Central and State governments, united under the Constitutional Conduct Group, issued a joint statement on Saturday. They urged the President of India to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and the law, emphasizing their commitment to the ideals enshrined in the Constitution of India.
The signatories, on behalf of the citizens of India, reminded authorities and institutions responsible for the democratic process of their paramount duty to uphold the Constitution. They reiterated the oath taken by these officials at the time of assuming office.
“Elections are a particularly testing time for institutions that are constitutionally vested with the responsibility of ensuring the integrity and fairness of elections. These include the higher judiciary, the election commission, chief electoral officers in every state, and returning officers in every district,” the statement read.
The group highlighted the necessity for these institutions not only to be fair but also to appear fair, reassuring citizens through transparent and accountable functioning, and continuously sharing information with the electorate.
Addressing concerns regarding the ongoing elections, the statement pointed out issues such as fears of EVM and VVPAT machine tampering, instances of unlawful voting, missing names from voter lists, and the Election Commission’s reluctance to disclose vote counts. It also noted the lack of action against hate speech by senior leaders of the ruling party.
“It would have been fitting for the Election Commission to publicly explain actions taken, and not taken, to address these problems and allay the fears of the electorate. They should still do this without further delay and in a transparent manner. No Election Commission in the past has been as reluctant as the present one to discharge its duties, despite violations being repeatedly brought to its attention by responsible organizations and respected members of society,” the statement criticized.
The group stressed the importance of the safe custody of EVM machines and timely announcement of vote counts by returning officers. They also highlighted the President’s crucial role in case of a hung parliament, expecting adherence to democratic precedents and prevention of horse-trading.
“We seek in humility to remind each of the authorities and institutions charged with the integrity of the process of democratic government formation of their paramount duty to abide and uphold the Constitution of India. We bring forth the luminous pledge that India’s first citizen, the President of India, takes to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law’ and to devote herself ‘to the service and the well-being of the people of India’. We are sure that this will be her guiding light,” the statement concluded.
Signatories of the statement include prominent former officials such as Anita Agnihotri IAS (Retd.), former Secretary, Department of Social Justice Empowerment, GoI; Anand Arni RAS (Retd.), former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI; Aruna Bagchee IAS (Retd.), former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines, GoI; Sandeep Bagchee IAS (Retd.), former Principal Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra; and Vappala Balachandran IPS (Retd.), former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI, among others.
