March 19, 2024

Indian E-Voting Researcher Freed After Seven Days in Police Custody

FLASH: 4:47 a.m. EDT August 28 — Indian e-voting researcher Hari Prasad was released on bail an hour ago, after seven days in police custody. Magistrate D. H. Sharma reportedly praised Hari and made strong comments against the police, saying Hari has done service to his country. Full post later today.

Comments

  1. David Jefferson says

    I am still hoping for the promised update to the story about Mr. Prasad’s release.

    Thanks.

  2. What is a democracy without rule of law ?

    Arrests on trumped up charges like this are so very common. Police are corrupt and do the bidding of the politicians or private corporates who bribe them.

    In this case the judiciary did its job and granted Hari Prasad bail. However, it could not quash the police “investigation”. That is how the law works in India. Hari Prasad was lucky that his bail application was not denied. But he needs to report back to the Police every now and then. He is not free in any sense of the word free.

    Media fails to highlight such incidents. Look at the Times Of India. This is a newspaper which pioneered “paid news”, they will print almost anything if paid to do so. They pioneered the “private treaties” whereby a corporate pays Times Of India (cash or stock) to have a pristine public image. Times of India tried to paint Hari Prasad as an “EVM Thief”.

    India is a diseased democracy. India needs many Hari Prasads to cleanse it.

    But the young men and women of India are chasing material wealth. The Hari Prasads are one in a million, and they get arrested.

  3. Does Freedom to tinker give the rights to anyone to break the law of the land? Or to go to any means to prove one’s point, despite having an official alternative?
    If the official alternative is not acceptable, state the conditions which would be acceptable! There is legal recourse to settle difference of opinion. Illegal means, either used by “enemies of state” or “friends” are still illegal.

    • called ‘public interest defence’. He clearly acted in public interest, and so did the person who donated the machine to him.
      Indian constitution starts with: “WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens (…)” – which means its the people who are the Sovereign- the original source of power and any law, and therefore if any action is in the indisputable interest of Indian people but against the law, it means that said law is wrong and not the action.

    • Please dont go by the letter of law. Go by the spirit of law.
      Had he gone by ‘official’ alternative no one in India would have even known about it.
      Rules are made by people only. They are not absolute thruths. If they have to be broken for greater good, they should be.

      • Laws are man made, as tools for justice, they can never be perfect. The ultimate ideal to seek should be justice, not laws.

  4. Prof Parameshwar P Iyer says

    This episode of Mr Hari Prasad exposing the “limitations” of Electronic Voting Machines, illustrates the following important principles:

    1. No man-made machine can ever be “failure-proof”. In IT terms, no technology is “hack-proof:”;

    2.Public “constitutional” institutions, such as the Election Commission, need to be humble and transparent, and accept that they can also “make mistakes”;

    3. Instaed of having Mr Harish Prasad arested on some “flimsy technical” reasons like “inlawful possession” of an EVM; he should have neem complimented by the EC for having pointed out a “serious potential flaw” in these machines/

    Regards.

    Prof Parameshwar P. Iyer
    (B.Tech. 1974, IIT Kharagpur; M.S 1976, Illinois; Ph.D. 1979, California)
    Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

    • Dear Prof Paameshwar P. Iyer,
      Prominent professors like you should talk. We hardly saw any response from academic community. Inspite of having best institutes in the world, we barely saw any response.
      Please, please be vocal and stand up. Election comission is talking rubbish, and had become a laughing stock. I am surprised to see Prof Inderesan response.
      Venky