NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Thursday said an FIR has been lodged over a “fake news” about EVM hacking attributed to former chief election commissioner T S Krishnamurthy circulated on the internet.
In a statement, the Commission said that on its direction, the Delhi chief electoral officer has lodged an FIR under Section 500 (punishment for defamation) of the IPC, and Sections 128 (maintenance of secrecy of voting) and 134 (breach of official duty in connection with elections) of the Representation of the People Act.
“Investigation has been initiated in this matter and stern action will be taken against the miscreants who have uploaded fake news to create wrong impressions about the election process,” it said.
The poll panel said it had come its notice that “an old fake news” about EVM hacking was being circulated on some social media platforms.
“The news item dated December 21, 2017 maliciously attributed that former chief election commissioner T S Krishnamurthy had opined that a particular party won assembly elections by hacking EVMs. This wrongful information was previously debunked by the former CEC himself, soon after this matter had come to his knowledge in 2018,” the statement said.
The same news is again being circulated by “some miscreants” on social media, the poll panel pointed out.
Refuting the news attributed to him, Krishnamurthy in a statement said, “It has been brought to my notice that a fake news which had appeared in a Hindi newspaper quite some time back is being activated and re-circulated as if that I express doubts about the credibility of the electronic voting machine in the conduct of elections in India.”
“This is utterly false and mischievous to circulate a wrong impression in the ensuing elections. I would like to reiterate that the EVMs are most credible and I have no doubt about its efficacy and reliability,” the former CEC said.
The EC has attached Krishnamurthy’s statement issued on Wednesday along with its release on Thursday.
Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will begin on March 27.