After Cong's poll debacle in 3 states, Digvijaya Singh raises questions over EVMs
Bhopal, Dec 5: Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday questioned the reliability of the electronic voting machines (EVMs), following his party's defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh assembly polls.
Former MP chief minister Singh claimed any machine with a chip can be hacked and also said he has opposed voting by EVMs since 2003.
A state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, however, dismissed Singh's claims and said the Congress faced defeat because of the failure of its policies, but was finding it convenient to blame the EVMs.
The BJP swept Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh on Sunday inflicting a resounding defeat on the Congress to tighten its stranglehold in the Hindi heartland.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP bagged 163 of the 230 assembly seats, while the Congress got 66 seats and the Bharat Adivasi Party secured one seat.
In a post on X, Singh said, "Any Machine with a Chip can be hacked. I have opposed voting by EVM since 2003. Can we allow our Indian Democracy to be controlled by Professional Hackers! This is the Fundamental Question which all Political Parties have to address to. Hon ECI and Hon Supreme Court would you please defend our Indian Democracy?"
When contacted for a response, Madhya Pradesh BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal while talking to PTI claimed the "Congress has come under the trap of the communist eco-system of 'tukde-tukde' gang."
"The truth is that the defeats are the result of failure of Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, its policies and due to their leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. But they cannot admit it publicly, thus finding it convenient to blame the EVMs. They never want an introspection of their failures," he said.
Any Machine with a Chip can be hacked. I have opposed voting by EVM since 2003. Can we allow our Indian Democracy to be controlled by Professional Hackers! This is the Fundamental Question which all Political Parties have to address to. Hon ECI and Hon Supreme Court would you… https://t.co/8dnBNJjVTQ
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) December 5, 2023
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CJI's advice to aspirant: Join the bar, become a lawyer, don't hanker for judicial services post
New Delhi (PTI): She came to the Supreme Court seeking a re-evaluation of her paper in the examination for joining judicial services as a magistrate. What she got instead was a rejection — and a candid confession by the Chief Justice that he too had wanted to join the judicial services in his youth but was advised by a senior judge to become a lawyer instead.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Friday dismissed a plea filed by Prerna Gupta, the judicial services aspirant.
As Gupta pressed her case, the CJI intervened and said, "Let me share my personal story and I hope you will go happily as we cannot allow your petition."
He recounted his time as a final-year law student in 1984 when he wanted to become a judicial officer. As per requirement, he cleared the written test and was set to appear for an interview.
Judicial services is one of the two routes to become a judge after initially joining as a magistrate in lower court and thereafter rising through the ranks to become judge in a high court and possibly the Supreme Court.
The other route is to join the Bar, which means becoming a lawyer, and after building a reputation be picked from the Bar to become a judge at a senior level.
By the time the CJI's exam results came out, he had started practising at the Punjab and Haryana High Court when he was called for the interview.
The senior-most judge on the interview panel happened to be a judge before whom he had recently argued two significant matters.
"One of the matters was Sunita Rani vs Baldev Raj, where he had allowed my appeal in a matrimonial case and set aside the decree of divorce granted by the District Judge on the ground of schizophrenia," he noted.
Before the interview could take place, the judge called the young Surya Kant to his chamber and asked, 'Do you want to become a judicial officer?'
"I said 'yes.' He immediately said, 'Get out from (my) the chamber.'"
The courtroom fell silent as the CJI Justice described his initial heartbreak.
“I came out trembling. All my dreams were shattered. I thought he had snubbed me and that my career was over,” the CJI said.
However, the story took another turn the following day and the judge summoned him again, this time offering a piece of advice that would change the trajectory of his life.
“He said, ‘If you want to become (a judge), you are welcome. But my advice is, don’t become a judicial officer. The Bar is waiting for you,’” Justice Surya Kant recalled.
The CJI said he decided to skip his interview and didn't even tell his parents at first, fearing their disappointment, and instead chose to dedicate himself to his practice as an advocate.
“Now tell me did I make a bad right or bad decision,” the CJI asked and the litigant lawyer left the court with a smile on her face despite her case being dismissed.
Encouraging the petitioner to look toward the future rather than dwelling on the re-evaluation of a single paper, Justice Surya Kant said, "The Bar has much to offer."
