ECIL, BEL refuse to disclose names of manufacturers of EVM, VVPAT components under RTI
New Delhi: In a significant development on Wednesday, the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), both public sector units under the Ministry of Defence, have declined to provide information regarding the manufacturers and suppliers of components used in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs). Citing “commercial confidence,” the companies withheld the information in response to Right To Information (RTI) requests submitted by activist Venkatesh Nayak.
Nayak’s RTI applications aimed to uncover the identities and contact details of those involved in the production of EVMs and VVPATs, which are integral to the electoral process, allowing voters to verify their ballot choices. Despite the critical role these devices play in ensuring transparent elections, both ECIL and BEL have invoked Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act to justify their refusal, arguing that releasing such information could compromise their competitive edge.
Furthermore, ECIL has expressed concerns that disclosing purchase order details could reveal sensitive design aspects of the EVM components, potentially endangering the integrity of the machines. This stance has been supported by the invocation of Section 7(9) of the RTI Act,
which permits withholding information if its provision would excessively strain the resources of the public authority or jeopardise the safety or preservation of the records.
Nayak has criticised the lack of transparency, questioning whose interests are being protected and pointing out the electorate’s right to information.
He suggests that the refusal to disclose may indicate that not all components of the EVM-VVPAT systems are produced in-house, contrary to what might be expected from the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) official documentation.
“But the electorate is expected to take everything about the voting machines based on what the ECI is claiming in its manuals and FAQs,” Nayak said.
