SC should take notice of EVM-hacking issue, order probe after Gabbard's statement: Surjewala
New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI): After US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's statement on EVM hacking, senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Friday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP-led Centre and the Election Commission (EC), and demanded that the Supreme Court take suo-moto notice of the issue and announce a probe.
In a post on X, the Congress general secretary said Gabbard has publicly raised the "issues of hacking" of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and their vulnerabilities.
"In fact, she further said that EVMs are ... vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the results of the votes being cast. The question is: Why are CEC and Election Commission of India 'silent'? Why is ECI planting 'source based stories' to negate what Ms Tulsi Gabbard said? Why are the PM, NDA government and BJP 'mum'?" he asked.
Surjewala said the EC and the Centre should reach out to the US government and Gabbard to collect all the details of hacking and other vulnerabilities of EVMs.
"Is it fair and just to outrightly rubbish and reject the statement made by the Director of National Intelligence of the US, whom we felicitated on 17th March i.e less than a month ago?
"Should the Supreme Court of India not take suo moto notice of the issue and conduct a thorough investigation, considering that free and fair elections and democracy are part of the 'basic structure' of the Constitution?" the Congress leader asked.
Sources in the EC rejected suggestions on Friday that the EVMs used in India are vulnerable to hacking, asserting that the machines work like simple calculators, which are not connected to the internet or infrared.
Referring to Gabbard's reported remarks that her office has obtained evidence of vulnerabilities to the hacking of electronic voting systems for manipulating votes, the sources said some countries use "electronic voting systems", which are a mix of multiple systems, machines and processes, including various private networks.
Ms. @TulsiGabbard is the United States Director of National Intelligence ! She has publicly raised the “issues of hacking” of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM’s) and its vulnerabilities.
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 11, 2025
Infact, she further said that EVM’s are, “…vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the… https://t.co/7OOeFfo5Ey
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
