Open Letter by 272 Eminent Citizens Accuses Rahul Gandhi of Undermining Democratic Institutions

A scathing open letter signed by 272 distinguished retired judges, bureaucrats, and armed forces officers has condemned Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi for repeatedly alleging “vote theft” and threatening Election Commission officials, warning that such unsubstantiated attacks are eroding public faith in India’s constitutional bodies.

The signatories, including former Supreme Court and High Court justices, ex-RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, and senior military veterans, accused the Leader of Opposition of systematically targeting one institution after another — from the armed forces and judiciary to Parliament and now the Election Commission — instead of presenting credible policy alternatives.

They highlighted Gandhi’s inflammatory claims of possessing “open-and-shut” and “100 percent” proof of electoral fraud, his description of the evidence as an “atom bomb,” and his open threats that Commission officials “from top to bottom” would face consequences even after retirement, describing the language as unprecedented and dangerous for a constitutional office-holder.

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The letter strongly defended the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, dismissing opposition charges of it being the “B-team of the BJP” as baseless rhetoric, and pointed out that the same critics remain silent when election results favour them, exposing what the signatories termed “selective outrage” rooted in political opportunism rather than genuine concern.

Urging the Election Commission to continue its work with full transparency while legally countering falsehoods, the eminent group called on all political leaders to compete through ideas rather than conspiracy theories and to accept democratic verdicts with grace, warning that the current tide of venomous rhetoric risks permanently damaging India’s institutional credibility.

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