EC files police complaint with Mumbai Cyber Police against man over claim that he can hack EVM

Mumbai: Amid claims of a self-proclaimed cyber expert named Syed Shuja that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be hacked and tampered with, the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) of Maharashtra has lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Cyber Police, which has launched massive investigations.

Syed Shuja is apparently hiding in a foreign country and has made similar claims in 2019.

The development assumes significance as the opposition parties have once again demanded the ban of EVMs for conducting polls in India in the wake of the outcome of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) action came after some social media users shared a video in which the man was is heard claiming that he could hack and tamper with EVMs in the Maharashtra elections by isolating the machine's frequency - a job that he would undertake for monetary considerations.

The Maharashtra CEO posted a clarification on X, in which ECI was tagged, which further reposted it.

The Mumbai Cyber Police registered FIR No.0146/2024 at Cyber Police Station, Dakshin, Mumbai on 30 November night against the person in the video after receiving a complaint from CEO Maharashtra.

An offence is lodged as per 318/4 of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS), 2023 as well as under Clause 43 (g) and Clause 66 (d) of Information Technology Act, 2000.

“EVMs are tamperproof. EVM is a standalone machine that cannot be connected to any network including any Wi-Fi or any Bluetooth by any person whatsoever. Therefore, the question of manipulating EVMs does not arise. EVMs are completely tamper-proof,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, the Supreme Court on multiple occasions has reposed their faith in EVMs.

“Election Commission of India has already published detailed FAQs on its website to clear any doubts and myths on EVMs. In a similar incident involving false claims, an FIR was lodged on the direction of the Election Commission against the same person in 2019 in Delhi who is hiding in some other country,” it said.