Over 40 former Supreme Court and High Court judges have raised concerns over a “calculated campaign driven by vested political interests, with little regard for the potentially devastating consequences of destabilising the world’s largest democracy”.
Activist outfits with a long record of selective litigation lend these claims a veneer of legality,” said 42 former judges in an open letter, without naming the party. “A party that governed this nation for over five decades now claims that the very system which elected it is rigged. It does not act alone. The former judges expressed concern over criticism of the Election Commission of India, the judiciary and statutory bodies, arguing that such conduct could weaken public confidence in institutions. The former judges also defended the Commission’s role in revising electoral rolls, saying the exercise was intended to support accurate voter lists and free and fair elections. They urged political parties to pursue complaints through the Commission and courts, while asking the media to verify claims before reporting them. The judges also called on citizens to assess information carefully and appealed to protesters to exercise their rights peacefully.
They said attacks on constitutional institutions had gone beyond legitimate criticism, with election officials facing public accusations and threats. They said no court had established the allegations being made against such authorities.
