Gross violation of law: CIC pulls up EC for not replying to RTI query on EVMs
New Delhi (PTI): The Central Information Commission (CIC) has expressed "severe displeasure" over the Election Commission (EC) not furnishing a reply to an RTI plea that had asked the poll panel about the action taken on a "representation" given to it by eminent citizens, raising questions on the credibility of EVMs and VVPAT machines during elections.
Terming it a "gross violation" of the law, the CIC has also directed the EC to submit a written explanation.
Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer M G Devasahayam, who was one of the signatories to the representation on the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) and the vote-counting process, had filed an application with the poll panel under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, seeking details of the action taken on it.
The representation was sent to the EC on May 2, 2022.
Through the RTI application filed on November 22, 2022, Devasahayam wanted to know about the persons and public authorities to whom the representation was forwarded, details of any meetings held on the issue and all relevant file notings.
The EC did not give any response to him within the mandatory 30-day period and Devasahayam's first appeal to senior officials was also not heard.
He approached the CIC in the second appeal, citing the lack of response from the poll panel.
When quizzed by Chief Information Commissioner Heeralal Samariya, the central public information officer of the EC failed to give a satisfactory reply on why no response was furnished to Devasahayam.
"Commission, after perusal of case records and submissions made during hearing, expresses severe displeasure over the conduct of the then PIO in not having provided any reply to the RTI application within the time-frame stipulated under the RTI Act. Therefore, commission directs the then PIO through the present PIO to furnish a written explanation for the gross violation of the provisions of the RTI," Samariya said.
He said if others are also responsible for the omission, then the CPIO shall serve a copy of the order on them and ensure that the written submissions of such people are sent to the CIC.
Samariya also directed the EC to provide a point-wise response to the RTI application within 30 days.
Noted technical professionals and academicians, including professors from Indian institutes of technology (IITs) and Indian institutes of management (IIMs), and former civil servants, including retired IAS, IPS and IFS officers, had written to the EC posing serious questions on the credibility of EVMs and VVPAT machines.
"Through this memorandum, we, a representative group of concerned civil society members, including technical professionals, academicians and former civil servants, would like to place certain posers before the ECI that have a bearing on the very survival of India as an electoral democracy. And we would expect an urgent response to each from the ECI," the letter dated May 2, 2022 read.
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Last Chance to Score 99%ile in CAT 2026: Strategy, Guide and Top Coaching
You are 6-7 months away from appearing for the CAT 2026 exam. We know that this sounds a little overwhelming for many candidates, but if you are a candidate who has not yet started their CAT preparation, then this time is the peak where you can make a right go-for-it strategy for cracking such a competitive exam in nature for the management domain. Many candidates are new to this preparation journey, but the best part is there are several strategies, guides and top resources that are really helpful to you if you select the right platform to start with.
You will see around many candidates who might be scared of VARC/DILR/QA, as per their interests. Maybe if VARC is easy for someone but the others are altered, they get stuck for the other two sections or vice versa. This article comes with a strategy that helps you to choose the right resources to continue your CAT 2026 preparation even if you haven’t started yet.
When you are preparing for the competitive exams like the Common Admission Test, there are several resources that you should keep in mind, including the peer-learning environment in the form of the largest community, the best CAT online coaching in India and more. Have seen around many aspirants get attracted towards iQuanta’s CAT preparation community to start their journey with. Let’s discuss the strategy to start with the CAT preparation journey in a detailed manner.
How Can You Start Your CAT 2026 Preparation?
The Common Admission Test is highly competitive in nature because the top IIMs or B-schools in India accept candidates based on various parameters, and the selection probability is also very low. The initial preparation plan for the CAT exam requires the understanding of the CAT syllabus in depth across the VARC, DILR and QA. As per the past year's CAT exam paper, the VARC section comprises 24 questions, followed by 22 questions in DILR and 22 questions in QA.
There are several points mentioned here that are really helpful for you during CAT preparation:
- Understanding the CAT syllabus in-depth across the VARC, DILR and QA. With what are the weightage covered across sections and majorly focused domain.
- The QA section requires rigorous practice from the candidates across important sections, including Arithmetic, Algebra, Modern Maths, Geometry and Number System. Among all the topics, Arithmetic and Algebra both considered as super important for the candidates that they should not afford to left while preparing for the CAT 2026. Because as per the past year CAT exam analysis, major questions appeared from these sections only.
- Next comes the other important section, i.e., LRDI. This section comprises logical sets which can be tackled if practice sessions are taken into consideration properly. Candidates can plan the consistent preparation strategy across Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation.
- VARC is further classified as Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. The main strategy for covering this section is by building daily reading habits and solving PYQs, which really matters the most.
Step-by-Step CAT 2026 6-7 Month Preparation Guide
6-7 months is all you have got for your CAT 2026 target 99%ile. With little time left, it is important to move in the right direction and start preparing now. Based on iQuanta CAT toppers' preparation strategies, which helped them attain their dream IIMs and top B-schools, here is a step-by-step CAT 2026 6-7 month preparation guide.
Step 1 - Identify your weak areas and take a trial mock test to see where you stand.
Step 2 - Live classes are really helpful for you to explore topics for consistent preparation across the section. iQuanta uses the dual-pedagogy approach to a streamlined preparation strategy for candidates.
Step 3 - Build conceptual clarity, work on your weak areas and develop problem-solving speed to boost your confidence.
Step 4 - Join an online CAT community, resolve your doubts online, take help of online mentorship, and analyse mock tests to reduce mistakes and improve performance. Among candidates, iQuanta’s largest CAT preparation community is popular and overall builds the peer-learning environment.
Step 5 - Remain consistent by following a proper preparation schedule, staying motivated and utilising different types of resources available through the top coaching.
How the Best CAT Coaching Impacts Your CAT 2026 Preparation?
The CAT exam is written by students as well as working professionals across the domains. But planning a proper strategy is quite different as per the candidate. The working professional might not be able to give sufficient time due to workload in comparison to students. This is the main reason the CAT online coaching is a strategic approach for aspirants to be consistent, even if they get stuck due to any reason, to ensure smooth preparation. Now what are the major point that candidates should verify while starting their CAT preparation with the top CAT coaching in India. The following pointers needed to be covered, including the 24/7 doubt-solving support, specialized modules which help to build strong basics across the sections, top faculty across the domain, and outstanding results.
iQuanta is highly popular among the candidates for CAT preparation due to their dual-pedagogy teaching methodology, maximum number of 99+%ilers which resulted in an amazing performance, and more.
They have specialized modules such as Engineer’s VARC, Non-Engineer’s QA and LRDI Essentials, which are highly helpful for the candidates if they find difficulties building a strong foundation across the section. With such important resources it is quite important for the candidates that they should explore top CAT faculty at iQuanta, including Amit Panchmatia sir (CAT QA 100%iler & LLRDI 99%iler), Shabana ma’am (CAT VARC 99.5%iler), Raj Kumar Jha sir (6 times CAT QA 100%iler) and more.
Wrapping Up!
Preparing for the CAT exam is a strategic process but can be simplified if you take the right resources into consideration. So, balance across the section is quite important for the candidates to consider during CAT 2026 preparation. This is the best time when candidates can strategise their preparation journey with consistency with the help of the best CAT online coaching in India.
