Mumbai:

Amid the Opposition’s questions regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) after the Maharashtra election results, the Mumbai cyber police has registered a cheating case after a viral video showed some people planning the alleged manipulation of EVMs. The case was registered on a complaint by the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra.

“A video was shared by some Social media users where a person is making false, baseless and unsubstantiated claims to hack and tamper EVMs in Maharashtra elections by isolation of EVM frequency,” the Maharashtra CEO’s office said in a statement.

“Mumbai Cyber Police has registered FIR No.0146/2024 at Cyber Police Station, Dakshin, Mumbai on 30th Nov night against the person in this video after receiving a complaint from CEO Maharashtra. The offence is lodged per 318/4 of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS), 2023 as well as under Clause 43 (g) and Clause 66 (d) of IT Act, 2000,” it added.

The poll body stressed that the EVM is a standalone machine that cannot be connected to any network, be it Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. “Therefore, question of manipulating EVMs does not arise. EVMs are completely tamper-proof. Hon’ble 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,” the CEO’s office said.

The statement added that an FIR was registered against the same person in 2019 in a similar incident. The accused is hiding in another country, it said.

False Claim Regarding EVM: A video was shared by some Social media users where a person is making false, baseless and unsubstantiated claims to hack and tamper EVMs inMaharashtra elections by isolation of EVM frequency. (https://t.co/FZ6YX6GORU)

Clarification: @ECISVEEPpic.twitter.com/OuJl33ekco

— ChiefElectoralOffice (@CEO_Maharashtra) December 1, 2024

Sources in the Election Commission said anyone making false claims or spreading misinformation regarding EVMs would face strict criminal action. “Such actions are a serious offense, and no one involved will be spared,” a source said.

The viral video shows a man on a video call explaining how he can allegedly hack EVMs and the charges required for this. The man is heard saying he has “access” to 281 out of 288 seats, but in some areas, “frequency isolation is impossible”. He quotes a sum of Rs 52-53 crore for allegedly ensuring wins in 63 seats. He also quotes the charges for and manpower requirement for a “clean sweep”. “I need someone to carry a phone and access a particular application that will scan the area and come up with which frequency we can isolate. Police radios use one frequency and EVMs match nearly the same frequency. I need to isolate that so that it is not intercepted,” he is heard saying.

The man in the video has been identified as Syed Shuja. In a 2019 complaint against him, the Election Commission had told Delhi Police that Shuja claimed that he was part of the EVM design team and could hack them.

In the aftermath of the Maharashtra Assembly polls results, which saw the BJP-led Mahayuti score a sweeping victory, the Congress and other Opposition parties have raised questions over polling through EVMs. The Opposition party has approached the Election Commission and a meeting over this issue will be held on Tuesday. The BJP has slammed the Congress and said it must introspect instead of blaming EVMs for the poll result.