India, Nov. 19 -- 272 citizens-among them former Supreme Court judges, top civil servants and decorated military veterans-have issued a sharply worded open letter condemning what they call the Leader of Opposition and the Congress Party's "deliberate and conspiratorial attempts" to tarnish constitutional institutions, particularly the Election Commission of India.

The statement, released in New Delhi, is anchored by Justice S.N. Dhingra, former Judge of the Delhi High Court, and Nirmal Kaur, former DGP of Jharkhand. Among the prominent signatories are former Supreme Court judges Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Hemant Gupta; Justice Shubro Kamal Mukherjee, former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court; and Justice S.M. Soni, form...