A controversial video uploaded by Dr. Harish Karnick, a retired professor from IIT Kanpur, has sparked a fierce backlash, with allegations that he is spreading anti-democratic, anti-national propaganda against India’s Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The complaint, filed by former Central Information Commissioner Uday Mahurkar, demands immediate action from both IIT Kanpur’s Director Dr. Manindra Agrawal and India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accusing Dr. Karnick of misusing his association with the premier institution to discredit the integrity of India’s election process. The crux of the complaint revolves around a video shared by Dr Karnick, in which he allegedly disseminates false and unsubstantiated claims about the EVM technology that has been a cornerstone of India’s democratic system for decades.
Mahurkar’s complaint, which calls the video a “malicious attack on the credibility of India’s electoral process,” accuses Dr. Karnick of spreading misinformation that could not only destabilise public trust in the electoral system but also become a dangerous narrative internationally. Mahurkar argues that this video, which is still circulating on social media platforms, is particularly troubling because of its potential to mislead global audiences into believing that the Indian electoral process is corrupt.
As Mahurkar points out, IIT Kanpur’s longstanding association with the development and deployment of EVMs makes Dr. Karnick’s actions even more egregious. “The lies propagated by Dr. Karnick,” Mahurkar writes in his complaint, “could sabotage India’s democracy and become gospel truths globally—solely because IIT represents India’s intellectual brand.” The former Central Information Commissioner stresses that Dr. Karnick’s claims are not only false but also harmful, as they seek to undermine a technology that has been vetted repeatedly and upheld by the Supreme Court of India. Over the years, the EVM process has been scrutinised by multiple courts and governmental bodies, all of which have confirmed its fairness and transparency.
In fact, IIT Kanpur itself played a pivotal role in the development of EVMs, making Dr. Karnick’s actions all the more troubling, as they seemingly contradict the institution’s contributions to the electoral process.
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