Following a case filed against a member of the Shiv Sena Shinde faction by Mumbai police, a fresh storm has erupted over the use of EVMs. This has led to a direct confrontation between the ruling party and opposition leaders. The Election Commission has now dismissed all allegations through a press conference, stating that no OTP is required to unlock EVMs.
Returning Officer Vandana Suryavanshi stated that today's headlines have prompted a flurry of tweets. There is no OTP needed to unlock EVMs. EVM devices do not connect to any external devices, and the newspaper has circulated entirely false information. EVMs are standalone systems. We have issued a notice to the paper and have also filed a defamation case under IPC section 499.
She further asserted that she had tried to explain the situation to the paper's reporter. Notices will be sent under IPC sections 505 and 499. The mobile phone that Gaurav was permitted to have was his own. An internal investigation may follow the police inquiry, as decided in the future.
No CCTV footage release without court order
The Returning Officer also mentioned that they cannot provide CCTV footage to anyone without a court order, including the police. EVMs are not programmable and cannot be hacked. Following a complaint by the Election Commission, an FIR has been registered.
The case in focus
Mumbai police registered a case on Sunday against the brother-in-law of MP Ravindra Waikar from the Shiv Sena Shinde faction. The FIR was related to the unauthorized use of a mobile phone during the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections at the Goregaon counting center. The Election Commission has also registered a case against a staff member for providing a mobile to Mangesh Pandilkar.
Several candidates contesting the North West seat had lodged complaints with the Election Commission, leading to the registration of the case. Ravindra Waikar won the North West seat by just 48 votes after a recount, which had sparked considerable controversy during the count itself.
According to sources, an Election Commission official, Gaurav, had possession of a mobile phone that generates OTP during the counting process. This phone was being used by Pandilkar. The police suspect that the phone was used from morning until 4:30 pm. At that time, there was a neck-and-neck fight between the two candidates. All the CCTV footage, which is crucial for the investigation, has been handed over to Mumbai police by the Election Commission.
Three teams for investigation
For the investigation of the case, Mumbai police have formed three teams. Starting today, the police will investigate the CCTV footage provided by the Election Commission, which plays an essential role in the investigation. The most crucial aspect is that the police are obtaining the CDR of our phones and are getting all the information on the mobile numbers. The police want to verify whom the calls were made to and how many OTPs were received. They also want to know if any calls were received on that phone. According to the rules, after generating the OTP, the phone must be handed over to the Returning Officer police who will investigate why the phone was not taken back.
