Should we discontinue EVMs?

[Dileep]

Your initial post said CHECKSUM, and I mentioned that checksum can be faked by adding some bytes. Well, not adding but changing some bytes. So I am right that checksum can be faked.

But not the size and checksum together.

You claim that binaries do not have extra unused bytes. WRONG. You know what padding is. When a structure is of size say 2k -1 bytes, the compiler will add 1 unused byte to make it even sized as even sized data are faster to access on most CPUs. So there will be lots of unused bytes in binaries which have some data in the code segment. So by changing the contents of these unused bytes, one can create a different binary with same checksum.

Not true in small embedded systems. You never pad the structures.

Also, 100% voters DO NOT have photo. I have personally seen voter lists without many voters without photo. And too many voters have wrong pix. eg my own voter card has my father's pix and vice versa !! So there are so many voter cards with wrong pix, that presiding officers were explicitly told not to turn away voters with card, just because pix was different.

100% entries in the voters list have photo. That is a mandatory requirement now. Post a scan of a page of the current voters list if you want to dispute that,.

If you dislike people who lie, you should try first not to lie.

The only falsehood I ever posted on BRF is the scenarios. The only "embellished truths" I ever posted on BRFs are the wisecracks on nukkad/benis. I never ever lied or even made a disingenuous argument on a debate.

People whose second nature is falsehood may find it difficult to believe, but that is the truth.

I will find out about CRC or Hash. I think that if the Hash function is known in advance, then hash too can be faked. Hash cannot be faked if hash function is unknown. I am not sure and will get back later.

The hash algorithms are opensource. There is enough research and analysis done on them. Post any gems you find here please.

[Rahul M]

Attn : Rahul M

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MD5

MD5 was designed by Ron Rivest in 1991 to replace an earlier hash function, MD4. In 1996, a flaw was found with the design of MD5. While it was not a clearly fatal weakness, cryptographers began recommending the use of other algorithms, such as SHA-1 (which has since been found vulnerable). In 2004, more serious flaws were discovered, making further use of the algorithm for security purposes questionable.[2][3] In 2007 a group of researchers including Arjen Lenstra described how to create a pair of files that share the same MD5 checksum.[4] In an attack on MD5 published in December 2008, a group of researchers used this technique to fake SSL certificate validity.[5][6] US-CERT of the the U. S. Department of Homeland Security said MD5 "should be considered cryptographically broken and unsuitable for further use,"[7] and most U.S. government applications will be required to move to the SHA-2 family of hash functions by 2010.[8]

Attn : Rahul Mehta

http://www.win.tue.nl/hashclash/SoftIntCodeSign/

It is important to note that the hash value shared by the two different files is a result of the collision construction process. We cannot target a given hash value, and produce a (meaningful) input bit string hashing to that given value. In cryptographic terms: our attack is an attack on collision resistance, not on preimage or second preimage resistance. This implies that both colliding files have to be specially prepared by the attacker, before they are published on a download site or presented for signing by a code signing scheme. Existing files with a known hash that have not been prepared in this way are not vulnerable.

and this is what I had said in my original post :

AFAIK, the only way to have same checksum for two different files is to have complete access to the original code at the time of its writing and permission to modify it according to your needs.

sorry, you haven't shown any chink in MD5 yet. and of course with SHA even these problems are not there.

[Rahul M]

dileep ji why are we even discussing simple checksums ? noone even uses simple checksums these days and the higher level checksums can't be faked IOW its not possible to make a file match a random checksum, as evident from the above article.

this strawman argument by RM has no place here.

[Dileep]

My favorite theory is replacement theory and not trojan theory.

Replacement theory says

1. Real EVMs were replaced by fakes AFTER candidate number was given. So Congress (=UPA) candidate number was known to that EVM's code.

2. The replacement was done in EC warehouse and/or District Centers of participating Collectors

3. After that fake EVMs were replaced by real ones with counters updated.

-----

Say booth has 1000 voters.
Say 650 voted.
Say the fake EVM is programmed to give 80% votes to Congress.
Then Congress would get 520 votes.
Say actual votes Congress got were 150 votes
Then Congress got extra 370 votes in that booth due to replaced EVMs
Hence by having 50 fake EVMs in that Constituency, CIA can get 18500 extra votes for Congress.

By having just 50 fake EVMs per seat, Congress can get lead of some 18500 votes in that Constituency.

IOW, even if CIA-Chawala replaced 50 of 1500 EVMs in say 400 Constituencies, they can change results in 100-150 of these 400 seats.

-----------

So there are many sub-scenario in replacement theories. The question is : what is lowest number of EVMs per seat to be replaced to win N seats?

The randomization done in CEC warehouse is useless. CIA-Chawala can easily ensure that fake EVM go the the Constituency CIA selected. So lets say some 20000 EVMs out of 700,000 EVMs nationwide were replaced by CIA-Chawala-Rajmata-MMS cabal and sent to selected 300-400 seats AFTER candidate numbers were known. So in those 300-400 seats, Congress got some 18000 to 20000 extra votes and the opponents lost that many votes. Enough to add 100-150 more seats to Congress, UPA.

Now since boothwise tallies were not given to public, such rigging can never be felt.

--------

Now replacing 20000 to 30000 of 700,000 EVMs at CEC warehouse in 20 days time is piece-o-cake for CIA. And then replacing them back after counting is also easy. And having 30000 EVMs look-like manufactured in US is also manageable for CIA.

Even if EVMs were stored in District warehouse, some extra EVMs may be needed at the last minute. A Constituency needs 1500 EVMs. Did District had all the EVMs it needed? Unlikely as voter population has increased by at least 10% since previous LS election and at least 1% to 10% since last Assembly elections. And some old EVMs could have malfunctioned. Replacements will all come from CEC warehouses. It is possible that CEC sent 50-100 EVMs after candidate numbers were issued and they were pro-Congress EVMs.

So one extreme scenario is that 200,000 EVMs were replaced each EVM was programed to give 50 extra votes.

Another scenario is 25000 EVMs were replaced, each EVM was programed to give 400 extra votes.

And many other combinations will also get 100-120 extra seats to Congress.

If you find repeating the same arguments useful, I have no problem in repeating the counter argument as well.

1. EVMS are stored by the district collectors, not the CEC. You haven't come u with proof otherwise. It is impossible to corrupt a number of babus.

2. The EVMs are normally stored in the civil office building. Any secret movement there is highly observeable.

3. The collectors can't go to the EVM storage, open the room and load the boxes into the trucks all by themselves. It is impossible to do this secretly.

4. In order to set the counts on the EVM, you need to employ an army of people. Each vote takes 30 seconds, because of the set time delay. That will be as good as a days polling.

5. Then there is the little detail of putting the stickers, seals and stamps on the EVMs, exactly as the ones that went into the polls.

Impossible, except in RahulWorld.

Now you are talking about rigging just 50 machines. What about rigging just 50 booths by ballot stuffing? Same difference no?

[suryag]

I would like to dispute this theory that Assembler adds padding. Actually, tell me which assembler adds padding, ARM asm doesnt PIC's asm doesnt then which ASM are you talking about please let me know, I write ASM on ARM processors and used to write for power pc for a living and no assembler until now adds padding. When you have assembly instruction to address memory on a byte basis why should you need padding. Padding is inserted by compilers to read in data in words so that it suits the data bus width.

[Rahul Mehta]

And NONE is yet to show how EVMs reduce cost compared to paper ballots.

Stop comparing cost of one EVM to 100,000 reams of paper first..will you ?

1. EVM if properly designed will come good for next 5 or even more general elections for there would be no added functionality unless the election process itself changes.

2. EVM's USP is elections can be held in far shorter span of time as compared to conventional ballots , can you imagine the MONEY saved by making the entire Govermund machinery run a complete 10-15 days LESS than what it used to for old system ( I am sure 10/15 days is a conservative estimate)?


3. The lesser the duration of GE lesser will be the number of people and innocents getting killed in election related violence and other political disruptions.

4. An election process carried out at a faster pace ensures that political parties have less time for fixing or scheming against a fair election process in any given constituency.

5. Booth Capturing to a large extent is prevented as during Ballot paper era ; laltain and cycle party used to come with a bunch of goons who used to come with their own Ballot papers or worse take the box itslef; the 5 minute interval between successive votes in a EVM makes this very difficult to pull (although I do not doubt likes of Lalloo and Co ).

6. In this age of 'GREEN frenzy' saving tonnes of paper is definitely a legitimate cause for going the EVM way.

7. Makes transition and improvement of election process easier; who knows 5/10 years down the line one might be able to cast the vote on the internet and all the counting and other processing might be done inside a kamplex 'CLOUD" .

Negi,

Say there are 20 candidates. Ballot paper size will be half the newspaper page. One newspaper has 20 pages these days. So one newspaper equals to 40 ballots. Newspaper consumption is 80 million per day. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_circulation ) . So one day's newspaper is 40*80 million = 3200 million ballots = 320 cr ballots. We would need only 71 cr ballots. So ballot papers take 1/4 of DAILY newsprint consumption. IOW, even with one election a year, ballots would consume merely 1/1400 of what newspapers do. Even if you quadruple this , this is NOTHING.

Given that EVM's cables are riggable in unprovable ways, paper is not worth saving.

[Dileep]

What is "presence"? The good chip as well s bad chip has microcode. So both will show presence. How do I know which of the two chips has wrong microcode if the microcode cannot be read?

If you look at the top mask of the good chip and the bad chip, they will look different, with the bad chip with additional circuitry, that's all.

1. Initially, you said that microcode cannot have trojan. Then I showed that microcode can have a trojan if the microcode writer knew ROM code

No. You put an additional execution unit with its own microcode to do the magic. You can't put a trojan in an existing microcode.

2. Next you said checksum cant be rigged. I showed how checksum can be faked by putting bytes in padding spaces binaries have

Refer back. This is what I posted

I am sure BEL have an established procedure for loading and verification of the binary onto the EVMs. This being an extremely important step for the security of the device, there will be elaborate procedures in place.

Even with no security consequence, our standard procedure for programming OTP controllers is that the operator always verifies the checksum of the code before doing the burn. When the device goes to the testing, the first thing verified is the checksum again. This is repeated for every testing. (we test the boards themselves, and after integration as a rule). A number of people are involved in the process, so sneaking something in the plant is impossible.

Where did I say checksum can't be rigged? I further said adding code and maintaining size and checksum is impossible. Drop the strawman and disprove that point.

It be a good idea to keep counts of how many times you change your positions.

I never changed any position. If someone makes a valid technical point, I would always admit that. It is part of my principle of honesty, which might be alien to you.

Now Dileep, pls show me URLs to read ROM contents of a micro-controller. Or if I send you a ROM, can you read its contents with equipment you have? Do you know anyone in India who can read a ROM contents? Because if chip does not have functionality to write out ROM contents, how will you read it? Have you actually read a ROM code before?

Sure. Send me the chip. If the chip is not dead, and is of known architecture, I can read and send you the binary file.

EVERY CHIP that has OTP ROM do have a read capability. The programmer that burns the chip ALWAYS read it back to verify too. I can read the chip if my equipment supports the chip.

[Rahul Mehta]

AFAIK, the only way to have same checksum for two different files is to have complete access to the original code at the time of its writing and permission to modify it according to your needs.

I have assumed that CIA has moles and so has access to code of EVMs.

Also, with cable replacement, I dont need code of BU or CU anymore.

---

SuryaG, Dileep,

Are you sure that padding is NOT done? Because not doing padding would slow down the code and with memory costs so low, why would one chose to skip padding ALL the time. Also, we dont know if BEL used C or Assembly to write code. People do use C to write embedded system code. So how can be you be so sure that EVM code did not has unused bytes in it?

----

I am going public with "EVMs are riggable in unprovable way by changing cables" theory.

http://mehtarahulc.blogspot.com/

http://mehtarahulc.blogspot.com/2009/07 ... nging.html

I am holding a small meeting on Sat 6pm, some 20-25 people would come. Next meeting on Sun 10am, some 10-15 people may come. I have invitation for talk on this issue this Thus or next Thus 6 pm at a small gathering where some 25 people regularly come. I will give a paid AD in newspaper in a month. Inshaa Commons, we will see paper ballots in coming MH Assembly elections.

You guys can now post your insults along with "cables cant be rigged" proof in newspapers. Because along with BRF, I am will try my best to take the debate orkut, newspapers everywhere.

[Rahul M]

I have assumed that CIA has moles and so has access to code of EVMs.

Also, with cable replacement, I dont need code of BU or CU anymore.

fine, so at least one line of argument has been done with.

gentlemen, let this be noted.

[Dileep]

I would like to dispute this theory that Assembler adds padding. Actually, tell me which assembler adds padding, ARM asm doesnt PIC's asm doesnt then which ASM are you talking about please let me know, I write ASM on ARM processors and used to write for power pc for a living and no assembler until now adds padding. When you have assembly instruction to address memory on a byte basis why should you need padding. Padding is inserted by compilers to read in data in words so that it suits the data bus width.

You are absolutely right surya. Assemblers never add padding. Compilers do, if you set the flags, optimizing it for speed. That is done only with bigger processors. The small RISCs don't need padding because the accesses are always byte aligned, so they are never padded. X86 does padding. Some powerpcs do too.

I do Atmega using assembler and C. Those are never padded.

But in RahulWorld, all binaries are like priyanka's bra. Always padded.

[Dileep]

Are you sure that padding is NOT done? Because not doing padding would slow down the code and with memory costs so low, why would one chose to skip padding ALL the time. Also, we dont know if BEL used C or Assembly to write code. People do use C to write embedded system code. So how can be you be so sure that EVM code did not has unused bytes in it?

We are talking about an embedded system, where the processor, ROM and RAM are all integrated into the same chip. We always optimize for space.

I am going public with "EVMs are riggable in unprovable way by changing cables" theory.

http://mehtarahulc.blogspot.com/

http://mehtarahulc.blogspot.com/2009/07 ... nging.html

I am holding a small meeting on Sat 6pm, some 20-25 people would come. Next meeting on Sun 10am, some 10-15 people may come. I have invitation for talk on this issue this Thus or next Thus 6 pm at a small gathering where some 25 people regularly come. I will give a paid AD in newspaper in a month. Inshaa Commons, we will see paper ballots in coming MH Assembly elections.

You guys can now post your insults along with "cables cant be rigged" proof in newspapers. Because along with BRF, I am will try my best to take the debate orkut, newspapers everywhere.

On BRF, you will find intelligent, decent and honest people who understand technology, sciences and on top of all, logic. You can't get away with your RahulWorld scenarios here.

Orkut and other forums are different. Please proceed, and enjoy the times. In fact, I suggest, nay, I challenge you to take it to the TV media.

[Rahul Mehta]

1. EVMS are stored by the district collectors, not the CEC. You haven't come u with proof otherwise. It is impossible to corrupt a number of babus.

Do YOU have proof that all EVMs are stored with Collector? Between last Assembly and today, in every constituency some 2% to 5% to 10% voters would have got added. Obviously these EVMs have to be shipped from CEC warehouse to district. Also, some EVMs need repairs and may need to be replaced. Plus what about replacing batteries in EVMs? IOW, your theory that ALL EVMs were in district before election started is wrong.

3. The collectors can't go to the EVM storage, open the room and load the boxes into the trucks all by themselves. It is impossible to do this secretly.

Do they allow mediamen to guard the rooms on 24*7 basis?

It is difficult and from that, you assert that it is impossible. This is why your logic is wrong. There is a loads of difference between difficult and impossible. Difficult only means that I or you cannot replace EVMs. This does not mean that Chawala cant or Collector cant or CIA cant.

In order to set the counts on the EVM, you need to employ an army of people. Each vote takes 30 seconds, because of the set time delay. That will be as good as a days polling.

60 days have passed since counting, Enough to set the counters on all real EVMs.

------------

Now you are talking about rigging just 50 machines. What about rigging just 50 booths by ballot stuffing? Same difference no?

NO. Rigging 50 booths would need 150 criminals in field. And so rigging 50 booths in 400 Constitiency would need 150*400 = 60000 criminals in field. Whereas replacing 20000 EVMs over 10 days would need only 5-10 people in warehouse.

[I see that you are ignoring my cable replacement theory. Perhaps you cant take time out of posting cartoons, sarcasms and insults. Well, take your time. You also have option of replying in public, after or before I give paid newspaper AD that "EVMs rigging by cable replacement is possible".]

[suryag]

Do they allow mediamen to guard the rooms on 24*7 basis?

No RM even when mediamen may guard the rooms on 24/7, CIA could still play mischief as they could buy 10% of media people and change the footage that is being broadcasted. CIA according to you could even get a foetus to come out and rig EVMs and go back in.

[Rahul Mehta]

Orkut and other forums are different. Please proceed, and enjoy the times. In fact, I suggest, nay, I challenge you to take it to the TV media.

I dont have money to pay TV guys - they are way too expensive. If anyone calls me for talk or debate, I am ready. The newspapers too dont invite me, but their paid ADs are something I can afford.

You are welcome to put "cables cannot be rigged or replaced refutation" here as well as my blog. I promise not to delete it on my blogs even if you fill them with insults and sarcasms.

---

SuryaG,

When did I made any claims about fetus rigging EVMs?

[krishnan]

CIA people must be having a good laugh , reading this

[Dileep]

The cable is permanently attached to the BU by soldering onto the PCB. You will need to open the BU, de-solder the old cable and solder the rigged cable. Then reverse the process. Every argument against replacing the EVM holds here as well.

[Rahul M]

SuryaG,

When did I made any claims about fetus rigging EVMs?

can you prove it can't happen ?

[suryag]

Orkut and other forums are different. Please proceed, and enjoy the times. In fact, I suggest, nay, I challenge you to take it to the TV media.

I dont have money to pay TV guys - they are way too expensive. If anyone calls me for talk or debate, I am ready. The newspapers too dont invite me, but their paid ADs are something I can afford.

You are welcome to put "cables cannot be rigged or replaced refutation" here as well as my blog. I promise not to delete it on my blogs even if you fill them with insults and sarcasms.

---

SuryaG,

When did I made any claims about fetus rigging EVMs?

Looking at the rate you are coming up with ridiculous theories you could come up with foetus theory too.

Frankly, i dont think you are making a convincing case w.r.t EVM rigging.

[Dileep]

TV guys and newspaper guys don't call you because they have common sense, but less patience than those on BRF.

I made one comment on your blog, assuming that you are taking the "cable rigging" thing only there. I prefer to do the arguments here on BRF for logistics convenience. Game?

[Raja Bose]

Are you sure that padding is NOT done? Because not doing padding would slow down the code and with memory costs so low, why would one chose to skip padding ALL the time. Also, we dont know if BEL used C or Assembly to write code. People do use C to write embedded system code. So how can be you be so sure that EVM code did not has unused bytes in it?

Mehtaji,

Writing in C doesn't automatically imply that padding is done. In fact for the MCUs on which the likes of EVM run, there is no padding done - these are not full-blown processors we are talking about. Please educate yourself about embedded systems before throwing out seemingly plausible yet completely incorrect arguments.

It is difficult and from that, you assert that it is impossible. This is why your logic is wrong. There is a loads of difference between difficult and impossible. Difficult only means that I or you cannot replace EVMs. This does not mean that Chawala cant or Collector cant or CIA cant.

Lets take the same argument....is it impossible to rig paper ballot based elections...NO! In fact we have seen plenty of cases of rigging in paper ballot elections and are yet to see anything except half-baked paper-based ideas for effective EVM rigging (key word is effective)....

[AjayKK]

Posted w/o comment

AIADMK sees no hope of fair by-polls, announces boycott

Coonoor (TN) (PTI) Opposition AIADMK on Monday decided to boycott the August 18 by-elections for five seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, saying it has no hopes of a fair, free and impartial polls with the DMK and the UPA at the helm.

A decision to this effect was taken at an emergent executive committee meeting of AIADMK here which also authorised party supremo Jayalalithaa to talk to its alliance partners -- the CPI(M), CPI, PMK and MDMK -- in this regard.

"When the DMK was in power in the state with the Central government headed by Congress giving 'blind support' to it, there was no hope that the Election Commission would conduct free, fair and impartial polls," a resolution of the meeting said.

After failing to defeat the DMK in the Lok Sabha polls despite forging a rainbow alliance, the AIADMK and its partners had accused the Election Commission of "failure" to check alleged use of money and muscle power by DMK and raised doubts about the efficacy of EVMs.

[krishnan]

TV guys will surely call , because all they want is viewers watching their channel.

[Raja Bose]

CIA people must be having a good laugh , reading this

Actually that is not a bad idea . I do know some ex-fratboys I used to teach who now work in NRO, NSA and CIA (what to do...downturn means no Wall Street and hence, sticking to sarkari jobs onlee). Maybe I should ask 'em to take a look at this thread....considering all the fascinating ideas we have on this thread on how to rig an EVM properly, perhaps it will finally teach the ham-handed CIA some new ways on how to do it right!

[Dileep]

This thread is going so fast, and we don't have a provision to view non-paginated text. I have missed several posts in between. So, time for a summary again.

Rahul Mehta has dropped the ball on the EVM replacement theory, and started a new one. Cable replacement theory. He has also dropped the trojan theory. So, unless Pranav comes back with the trojan again, the only standing scenario is cable replacement.

One issue of verification of the integrity of the binary at BEL came up and got a bit sidetracked by the Checksum strawman. So, let me first put it to rest.

As of now, we don't know what systems BEL have to verify the binary before burning it to the OTP ROM. A SHA hash check is perfectly doable. Even for an absolutely non secure product, a "checksum check" which is in fact a size and checksum check is instituted. So, we should assume BEL will have a reliable system there. This could be easily verified by BEL.

Now that the binary verification is laid to rest, let us pick up the "Cable replacement theory" in the next post

[Dileep]

Deterrents against the "Cable Replacement Theory"

The cable is permanently attached to the BU by soldering the wires onto the PCB. The other end is terminated on a D-Sub connector that plugs into the CU. If you want to add circuitry to the cable, the only way is to replace the whole cable assembly. This involves the following:

- Break all seals and open the BU.
- Remove the PCB of BU
- De-solder the wires, 25 of them
- Solder the wires of the rigged cable, 25 of them.
- Fix the PCB back
- Close the box, and apply fake seals back on the box.

These can't be automated. It will take upto an hour to complete one unit. You need the industrial setup, trained operators and facility. The operators can very well see that they are making changes to the EVM, and it is done clandestinely. All these must be done in total secrecy. And no leaks.

Only in RahulWorld.

Then there is this little problem of timing. You need to access the EVM storage under the collector TWICE. Once to remove and then to replace. This makes it twice as difficult to pull off.

You also have to access the EVM storage TWICE after polls to replace the old cables. Twice as difficult than replacing the EVM itself.

Then comes the killer.

Someone smells a rat. All you need to do is place the connector on an X-ray machine, and the circuit will show up. Or just open the connector housing using a pen knife, and the circuit will show up. After all, you need to terminate all the 25 wires on the rigger, and then connect all of them back to the connector. That is 50 solder joints. Then there is the battery(for clock), crystal, silicon, passives etc.

Very reliable, very secret. Only in RahulWorld.

Bottom line, if you can't do EVM replacement, you can't do cable replacement either. Both goes to the same place that they deserve. the Trash Can.

[Pranav]

So, unless Pranav comes back with the trojan again, the only standing scenario is cable replacement.

The point regarding trojans has already been made - no need to keep repeating it. Also, totalizers remain an area of concern, and they can be analyzed as and when public domain information about them becomes available.

The bottom line is that unless all specs are published and the systems made available for independent audit, EVMs will remain suspect.

CEC Navin Chawla has a history going ostensibly to urinate during EC meetings, phoning Congress henchmen from the bathroom, and then coming back to the meeting with directions. Totally ludicrous to expect the people to trust such a system.

Meanwhile I am suggesting that for upcoming assembly elections, paper ballots with video recording be used. EVMs can additionally be used to mollify EVM supporters, but there is no substitute for a paper trail.

[Pranav]

How Navin Chawla was involved in torture of prisoners during emergency:

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chawla as EC: Monstrous folly

Author: A Surya Prakash
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 19, 2005

IAS officers told the Shah Commission of Enquiry that Mr Navin Chawla, then secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, wanted them to detain persons under the dreaded MISA without examining the grounds of detention and to later 'fabricate' the evidence. The Superintendent of Tihar Jail said that Mr Chawla wanted construction of cells with asbestos roofs to 'bake' certain persons and to throw some 'troublesome detenus' (read opponents of the Emergency) into the lunatics' cell.

Armed with this evidence and the testimony of many others including the then Lt Governor of Delhi, the Shah Commission, which inquired into the excesses during the Emergency, indicted Mr Chawla for having been 'authoritarian and callous' and for gross misuse of power "in cynical disregard of the welfare of citizens". Further, it declared that he was "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others".

Meet Mr Navin Chawla, a member of Sanjay Gandhi's extra-constitutional cabal, which snuffed out democracy and constitutionalism between June, 1975 and March, 1977. Some weeks ago, the President, as the readers may be aware, was 'pleased' to appoint him as a member of Election Commission of India! For all those who have lived through that nightmare called the Emergency, the appointment of Mr Navin Chawla, a man completely at odds with democracy itself, as an Election Commissioner, constitutes a terrible folly that needs to be quickly undone.

The Shah Commission Report provides ample evidence of Mr Chawla's cynical disregard of basic constitutional values. The Second Interim Report, submitted in April, 1978, dealt extensively with the ruthless manner in which some officers like him (he was Secretary to the Lt Governor of Delhi) misused their powers. Here is a brief summary: Additional District Magistrates Mr P Ghosh and Ms Meenakshi Dutta Ghosh (ADMs) told the commission that in a large number of cases, the grounds of detention were furnished to them after they issued detention orders. Mr P Ghosh said that Mr Navin Chawla had summoned him along with Mr GC Srivastava (another ADM) and told them 'to fabricate the grounds'. After a few days he was again summoned by Mr Chawla and was told that the Lt Governor "would not hesitate to put even senior IAS officers behind the bars under MISA if he found them lacking in cooperation in the matter of MISA detentions". Mr Srivastava told the commission that he was asked by Mr Navin Chawla to issue as many as 100 to 150 orders per month. "It is evident," the commission said that whether an individual should be detained under MISA or not was not left to the detaining authorities "but was decided by Shri Bhinder or by Shri Navin Chawla or Shri Bajwa".

However, even more disturbing was the evidence of Mr Chawla's gestapo-style operations. The commission found that a special sub-committee had been constituted "to interrogate certain persons who had tendered apology for their past political activities". This sub-committee included a psychiatrist. The commission said the purpose of this interrogation, conducted in jail, was to ascertain the genuineness of the political conversion of these persons. Ms Chandra, Special Secretary, Home, Delhi Government, told the commission that this special sub-committee was Mr Chawla's idea. "...one wonders if this was an attempt at political indoctrination of the opponents of the emergency regime," the commission observed.

The Shah Commission obtained clinching evidence of the extra-constitutional power wielded by Mr Chawla at that time. The then Lt Governor, Mr Krishan Chand, admitted that his Secretary had enormous powers when it came to throwing people in jail. He told the commission that whatever Mr Chawla said in regard to detentions was accepted. Further, "Shri Krishan Chand has also said that the PM had handed over the running of Delhi to Shri Sanjay Gandhi and four-five officers who were close to Shri Gandhi used to receive direct orders from him. He has admitted that whenever some 'instructions' were given to him by Shri Navin Chawla, he took them to be emanating from Shri Sanjay Gandhi."

This is an extraordinary confession by the man who was Delhi's Lt Governor during the Emergency. He admitted that he received 'instructions' from his Secretary, Mr Navin Chawla!

We now come to the most damning piece of evidence against Mr Chawla. Mr Batra, the Superintendent of Tihar Jail, told the commission that CBI and intelligence officials freely visited the jail and met the detenus on the orders of Mr Chawla. The commission observed that "though Shri Navin Chawla had no position in the jail hierarchy, he was exercising extra statutory control in jail matters. The Jail Superintendent told the commission that Mr Chawla had suggested the construction of some cells with asbestos roofs to 'bake' certain persons. A proposal to this effect was also processed but given up eventually due to certain technical reasons. Further, Mr Chawla had on one occasion suggested that certain troublesome detenus 'should be kept with the lunatics'."

Mr Chawla claimed that the Lt Governor had given him this task. The Lt Governor, however, denied having made Mr Chawla responsible for Tihar Jail in any manner.

Based on the oral and documentary evidence obtained by it, the commission delivered the following indictment: "It is clear on the evidence that S/Shri PS Bhinder, KS Bajwa and Navin Chawla exercised enormous powers during the Emergency because they had easy access to the then prime minister's house. Having acquired that power, they used it without considering whether the exercise was moral or immoral, legal or illegal. The commission is of the opinion that though the involvement of these officers may vary slightly in degree, their approach to the problems of the period relating to the citizens was authoritarian and callous. They grossly misused their position and abused their powers in cynical disregard of the welfare of citizens and in the process rendered themselves unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others. In their relish for power they completely subverted the normal channels of command and administrative procedure." At another point the commission said, "tyrants sprouted at all levels overnight - tyrants whose claim to authority was largely based on their proximity to power".

The Union Government informed Parliament on May 15, 1978, in its 'Memorandum of Action Taken' that it had "accepted the findings, observations and recommendations of the commission". Since the Union Government 'accepted' the recommendations of the commission and told Parliament so, how can Mr Navin Chawla, who is "authoritarian and callous" and "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play" become, of all things, an Election Commissioner?

Mr Chawla's appointment as EC is, therefore, a monstrous blunder. The EC has the responsibility to not only conduct elections but also to protect political pluralism and deepen democracy. Therefore, an abiding commitment to democracy and the core values of our Constitution is a fundamental qualification for an Election Commissioner. Given the findings of the Shah Commission, how is one to believe that Mr Chawla will hold the scales even? To elevate such a person to the office of Election Commissioner is the ultimate insult one can heap on the Constitution. The sooner this monstrous error is corrected, the better.

In conclusion one must refer to yet another telling observation of the Shah Commission. It said: "A calculated effort was made to place persons in vital positions who were willing to further the interests of the centre of power in gross violation of established norms and practices." Are we now going to revisit that nightmare? Who proposed to make Mr Chawla an Election Commissioner? How committed is the promoter of this idea to democracy? Was the President, Mr APJ Abdul Kalam, informed of Mr Chawla's antecedents when the file was put before him? Mr Kalam must exert his moral authority on the Government and get it to undo the mischief. India's constitutional well-being cannot and should not be sacrificed for the sake of a partisan, undemocratic careerist.

[Pranav]

Chawla's loo breaks led to Congress phone calls: CEC

http://www.rediff.com/news/2009/feb/02c ... ls-cec.htm

Election Commissioner Navin Chawla's excuses and frequent visits to the washroom whenever crucial decisions were taken by the full bench of the Election Commission, is among the instances cited by the Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami in his letter to the President recommending the former's removal.

In the report to the President, the CEC notes that whenever the full bench meeting was seized of an issue, Chawla will make an excuse of going to the washroom. And soon thereafter, invariably, the CEC would get phone calls from top Congress functionaries even as the meeting was in progress. This amounted to interference in the functioning of the Election Commission, the CEC felt.

In his report, Gopalaswami also elaborated on the visit of the prime minister's Principal Secretary T K A Nair to Nirvachan Sadan, which houses the Election Commission of India in New Delhi, to enquire about the 'notice' being sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on her receiving an award from Belgium.

Gopalaswami felt that inside deliberations and details of the meetings were invariably being conveyed to a political party.

The CEC has cited 12 instances to conclude that Chawla has not remained impartial in his role as Election Commissioner.

The CEC's letter to the President recommending Chawla's removal is just two pages long, and he has dealt with 12 specific cases of partisanship in another 24 pages and annexed more than 800 pages of the Election Commission minutes, internal correspondence, etc in support of the case he has built up against his colleague.

Sources said Gopalaswami also personally apprised the President, the Cabinet Secretary and the PM's principal secretary about Chawla's misconduct with the staff to assert that he is not fit to continue in the Election Commission.

The CEC has conveyed to top government functionaries the complaints of two deputy election commissioners in this regard. Rajashri Bhattacharya, a 1979 batch IAS officer of the Andhra cadre, had even complained to the Cabinet Secretary that Chawla had abused him and threatened to get him arrested. Bhattacharya has since moved to the Planning Commission. R Balasubramanian, an Orissa cadre IAS officer, is the other deputy election commissioner who complained to the CEC in writing against Chawla.

The CEC also received a complaint that Chawla went out of his way to help a pandal owner during the recent Delhi assembly elections by calling up electoral officers to hire material from him.

Though Gopalaswami has not identified the Congress leaders prompted by Chawla to call up and interfere in the Election Commission's functioning in his report to the President, he has named T K A Nair as having visited him.

Gopalaswami says Nair tried to scuttle the notice against the Congress president, pleading that the prime minister has already examined the matter and found that there was no case against Sonia Gandhi. After five months of deliberations, the Election Commission decided to serve notice on Sonia Gandhi. She replied but the Election Commission is not able to firm up its views since Chawla is dragging his feet in submitting his comments, the CEC's report says.

The CEC's report says irrespective of whether Chawla consents to a decision or finds himself singled out by a majority of Gopalaswami and S Y Quraishi, the other Election Commissioner, he appears to be in the habit of conveying all the minutes of their internal meetings to the Congress leadership.

The report mentions the CEC getting a phone call from a top Congress functionary when the Election Commission was debating the possible dates for the Gujarat assembly elections and holding them in three phases as the home ministry was reluctant to provide sufficient central forces to complete it in two phases.

Sources stated that the Congress functionary whom the CEC does not name is none else but Ahmed Patel, Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, who talked to him in Gujarati, but this could not be confirmed. Gopalaswami, who is a Gujarat cadre IAS officer and speaks Gujarati fluently, countered as to how he learnt about the details when the EC's deliberations were still in progress.

Sources said Ahmed Patel reportedly wriggled out, stating that he got it from a source and assured sufficient central forces to complete the elections in two phases. And in no time the home ministry informed the CEC that central forces can be provided to conduct the polls in two phases and so the elections were held in two phases.

In another instance, Chawla found himself in a minority on holding the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections ahead of the completion of the five-year term of the present House. Even before the minutes were drawn up, the CEC got a phone call from then chief minister Veerbhadra Singh to defer announcement of the elections. Another senior Congress functionary wanted to meet the EC's full bench to plead against the elections three months ahead of the House term.

Sources identified this functionary as R K Dhawan, a senior Congress Working Committee member, who is very close to the Gandhi family. Again, this could not be confirmed.

Other instances cited by the CEC for removing Chawla include those related to the Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Bhagalpur by-election, and the controversial BJP CD case during the Uttar Pradesh elections.
By A Correspondent

[Sanku]

CEC Navin Chawla has a history going ostensibly to urinate during EC meetings, phoning Congress henchmen from the bathroom, and then coming back to the meeting with directions. Totally ludicrous to expect the people to trust such a system.

Meanwhile I am suggesting that for upcoming assembly elections, paper ballots with video recording be used. EVMs can additionally be used to mollify EVM supporters, but there is no substitute for a paper trail.

Dont trust the system, but look in the right places. That will better serve the effort than going after EVMs etc.

[Pranav]

Dont trust the system, but look in the right places. That will better serve the effort than going after EVMs etc.

As a practical fellow called Josef Stalin had said: "The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."

[Sanku]

Dont trust the system, but look in the right places. That will better serve the effort than going after EVMs etc.

As practical fellow called Josef Stalin said: "The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."]

Indeed, but as you said its not about the EVMs its about the people. Much easier to get the people do to xyz than a predefined machines developed over 25 years.

Thats my clinching argument actually, much much easier to rig by other means.

[Pranav]

Thats my clinching argument actually, much much easier to rig by other means.

That's where I differ with you - I say industrial scale rigging is much more difficult by any other means. Besides there is the imperative for the system to be transparently fair to the voters, who are after all the most important entity in any election process.

So let's agree to disagree.

[vera_k]

Someone file a PIL to have Navin Chawla wear a condom catheter during EC meetings.

[Tanaji]

You claim that binaries do not have extra unused bytes. WRONG. You know what padding is. When a structure is of size say 2k -1 bytes, the compiler will add 1 unused byte to make it even sized as even sized data are faster to access on most CPUs. So there will be lots of unused bytes in binaries which have some data in the code segment. So by changing the contents of these unused bytes, one can create a different binary with same checksum.

Why not take a look and try to understand what a hash function is or a hash with checksum is before spouting off? You have lied so many times on this thread that its not even funny anymore. Any decent site such as wolfram Mathematica will given you an explanation. The short answer is padding is not going to help you with a hash function, assuming the function chosen is halfway decent one. As Dileep says if its SHA-1, padding is not going to save you. Just because 2 inputs are of same size does NOT mean the hash will be the same. (A lot depends on what hash function is being used, I assume SHA1 which is most common).

I will find out about CRC or Hash. I think that if the Hash function is known in advance, then hash too can be faked. Hash cannot be faked if hash function is unknown. I am not sure and will get back later.

More lies from you. Hash functions have the fundamental property that they are distributed in the code space such that given two inputs M1 and M2, hash(M1) =/= hash(M2). A lot of research that is open source has taken place on all hash functions and quite a few papers have been written on this. You are again LYING.

http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2176

Stop spouting off technical jargon in a pathetic effort to appear more credible.

[Tanaji]

To add to Dileep's objections against cable theory:

The rigged cables would send first 100 votes correctly and then send 5% to 10% more votes in favor of Congress. Or if the cables had clock in it, then rigging would start only on election date-time and not before. So all mock polls will be accurate and real poll will be rigged.

To do this, the cable needs to have some sort of intelligence in it, which means a clock, a processor, memory. In short, quite a few chips in it. This is going to be a bulky piece of thing. The assembly itself will require power. ITs not as if you simply replace the cable with a new one and no one notices. The EC has as a part of its procedure a step that looks at the cable assembly. Such an addition will be easy to spot.

Cable replacement attacks work when you are trying to simply store inputs i.e. gather all keystrokes from a keyboard. The assembly required in this case is not much. What you are proposing is the need for a proper processor... the kit should be apparent to the naked eye.

Rahul Mehta, have you thought of branching off into writing fiction? You can make good money by writing novels.. the sort that sit at the back of railway book stalls and have titles like "Naukrani ki aag" and "Nurse ka paap" on them.

[Virupaksha]

To do this, the cable needs to have some sort of intelligence in it, which means a clock, a processor, memory. In short, quite a few chips in it. This is going to be a bulky piece of thing. The assembly itself will require power. ITs not as if you simply replace the cable with a new one and no one notices. The EC has as a part of its procedure a step that looks at the cable assembly. Such an addition will be easy to spot.

Could you please give me some more information about this procedure

thanks in advance.

[Tanaji]

I dont have an exact reference, but I think it was part of the recommendations of the committee formed by EC that looked into EVMs and was taken up. It was to be a visual inspection. I will see if I can dig up the reference.

[Tanaji]

BTW, on the EC site there is a Powerpoint presentation on the EVM features. Two points of interest:

• 1 million EVMs were used in 2004 elections
• Savings of $40Million were observed (Rahul Mehta please note.. but then as per you EC is lying)

Isn't it curious despite the widespread usage in 2004, it is only in 2009 elections that everyone is suddenly concerned with its security?

[Rahul Mehta]

News from foreign (ireland?)

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0423/evoting.html

Electronic voting system to be scrapped
23 April 2009 22:42

The electronic voting system is to be scrapped, having cost at least €51m to date. Environment Minister John Gormley said a task force is being set up to oversee the disposal of the voting and counting equipment and the end of storage arrangements. Minister Gormley said the figure of €51m does not include the cost of storing the machines.
Advertisement

He said it was clear from the Report of the Commission on Electronic Voting that 'significant additional costs' would arise if electronic voting was proceeded with. He said this could not be justified in the present circumstances. Mr Gormley said the public appeared to be satisfied with the present paper-based system. It was of paramount importance to ensure public confidence in the democratic system, he added.

Asked later if he should apologise for the waste of money, Minister Gormley said he did not create the difficulty and he said he was not in the business of reprimanding colleagues who were behind the project. While electronic voting is now at an end, he said there is still a 'considerable need' for electoral reform.

He says this can best be pursued by establishing an Independent Electoral Commission.

The inter-departmental task force will seek to dispose of the machines and recoup as much as possible of their cost. Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore has called for Martin Cullen and Noel Dempsey, who he said were responsible for a waste of public money, to be fired.

===============================

http://www.indian-elections.com/electio ... hines.html

Q21. Is it possible to program the EVMs in such a way that initially, say upto 100 votes, votes will be recorded exactly in the same way as the `blue buttons' are pressed, but thereafter, votes will be recorded only in favor of one particular candidate irrespective of whether the `blue button' against that candidate or any other candidate is pressed?

Ans. The microchip used in EVMs is manufactured in USA and it is sealed at the time of import. It cannot be opened and any rewriting of program can be done by anyone without damaging the chip. There is, therefore, absolutely no chance of programming the EVMs in a particular way to select any particular candidate or political party.

=========================

So looks like old EVMs have chips made in US, and new ones have chips made in Japan.

Tanaji,

These days, miniature sized ASICs can do amazing things eg You can see a whole PC in 4*2*1 inch mobile mobile. So making a device that can send wrong inputs to CU with right protocol is trivial - one has to know the protocol in advance. And in the case I shows, the chips are not in the cable cord, but in the cable connectors which are large in size. Now someone (Dileep?) says that cables are soldered to BU. If so, then one needs to open the connector that goes into CU and place intelligent attachment there. I will take a look at some BU-CU pictures discuss further.

BU and CU have keys and so one BU will work with only one CU. But if BU-CU keys were leaked, then one can make BU that would work with a given known CU. So say there are 50000 EVMs in CEC warehouse and Chawala or top guy in BEL gave out the keys of those CUs to CIA or Congress MP who repairs EVMs. Then CIA or Congress MPs can make duplicate BUs which will work with those CUs, and replace them with real BUs after row number was allocated to candidates. These 50000 BUs went to all over India in 300-400 Constituency and increased Congress counts by several thousand per Constituency. And after counting, CIA or the Congress MP (and his staff) replaced rigged BUs with real ones. If BU alone was replaced, then CU's counters need not be updated. Now if BU is also storing counts and keystrokes, then counters of real BU have to be updated. But AFAIK, only CU stored the counts and keystrokes, not BU.

--------

Dileep,

You keep repeating the SAME old litany that "ALL EVMs were stored in District". There are news that some 200,000 EVMs were made AFTER Jan-2009. In addition, many came from upgrade and the story says that upgrade was done by Congress MP's company. So it is KNOWN that not all districts had all the EVMs before election process started. Some EVMs did came from CEC warehouse to District later. Were they dispatched after candidate numbers were given? If the new coming EVMs were dispatched after candidates got their numbers, then Chawala was in position of sending 50-100 new rigged BU or BU+CU to that LS seat. There is no publicly available information on how many EVMs were sent and when, and you keep declaring that "all districts had all EVMs they needed before candidate numbers were given". What makes you so sure that not even 50 EVMs came later?

[Tanaji]

So making a device that can send wrong inputs to CU with right protocol is trivial

Everything is trivial in RahulWorld isn't it? I guess it is expected... normal laws of space, time and ethics dont apply to you.

It is very interesting the logic that you use in debating:

• Ask others for proof
• When others provide proof, either dismiss it as non authoritative or better still dismiss it completely because it does not agree with your assumptions
• Make wild assumptions and then state them as truth, use technical jargon that has absolutely no validity to make it look "authentic"
• When asked for proof, dismiss the request as "TRIVIAL" or trot out an explanation that is far fetched in the realms of possibility