Details of software used in SIR exempt from RTI, Election Commission cites 'trade secrets'

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has declined to disclose the name and version of the software it used to identify errors and anomalies in voter rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, saying the information relates to “commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property” and is exempt under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.The panel, which has faced criticism amid allegations of irregularities in the controversial roll revision exercise, also said that “no new software has been developed or procured for the SIR exercise,” and that electoral registration officers (EROs) decide on the inclusion or exclusion of an elector “on the basis of facts and records.”“The ERO of the concerned constituency is the statutory authority responsible for the preparation and revision of electoral roll of that constituency,” the poll panel said.The reply, dated October 16, came in response to an RTI application filed by MA Mujeeb Ayyub, a…