The government decided to issue electoral bonds as a money bill. This was unconstitutional because electoral bonds are not covered by the definition of ‘money bill’ in the Constitution. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the sole authority to issue currency under Section 31 of the RBI Act, was approached four days before the announcement […]
Author: Prof. Jagdeep Chhokar
Chief Justice of India is now covered by the RTI Act. Political parties must come next
There was never any doubt that the Supreme Court of India is a “public authority” under the Right to Information Act. This story began on November 10, 2007, when the veteran RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal filed an RTI application “seeking information on declaration of assets made by the judges to the Chief Justices in […]
Despite economic crunch, wealth of MPs, MLAs swells: ADR
Despite economic crunch, wealth of MPs, MLAs swells: ADR New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The average wealth of an MLA in India has swollen more than ten times from USD 1.3 million in the year 2015 to a massive Rs 13.6 million in 2018, founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Prof Jagdeep Chhokar […]
Justice Denied: The Curious Case of an Inordinate Delay in a Judge’s Elevation
The Centre’s disregard for procedure and recommendation when it comes to Justice A.A. Kureshi is mysterious and telling. Consider the following sequence of events: In 1983, a young man – let’s call him Y.M. – gets an LL.B. degree and starts practicing as an advocate in the high court of state ABC. In March 2004, […]
Why is ‘one election’ a priority?
Question: Who is likely to be the most knowledgeable on what electoral reforms are needed? Options: (a) Those who have contested one or more elections in the past 10 years. (b) Leaders of registered and recognised political parties. (c) The Election Commission of India. (d) Election experts who discuss elections in TV debates. (e) None […]
Should the Indian taxpayer pay the hidden cost of donations to political parties?
Sruthisagar Yamunan deserves to be complimented for his informative article that brings out a hidden dimension of the electoral bonds used to make anonymous donations to political parties in India. Headlined “controversial electoral bonds are not only opaque, they come at a cost to the Indian taxpayer, the article asserts that there’s an invisible cost […]
RTI amendment: A case of people’s power compromised
The passage of the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by both houses of Parliament is a very significant event. It has implications for several critical areas of governance in the country. It can be interpreted in the following ways: It is (a) a struggle of power between the Executive and the Legislature, (b) […]
सूचना कानून पर मंडराता खतरा: आम लोगों को सशक्त बनाने वाला कानून को कमजोर करने की कोशिश
[ जगदीप एस छोकर ]: सूचना अधिकार कानून यानी आरटीआइ में संशोधन का एक और प्रयास शुरू हो गया है। यह प्रयास पहले किए गए प्रयासों से कुछ हटकर है। अब तक किए गए प्रयासों में संशोधन प्रस्ताव का मसौदा बनाकर विभिन्न वर्गों और जनता के बीच चर्चा के लिए रखा जाता था। वर्तमान संशोधन प्रस्ताव को […]
राजनीतिक दलों का रवैया
Text: जब से उच्चतम न्यायालय की पांच सदस्यीय पीठ ने संविधान के 99वें संशोधन को असंवैधानिक घोषित करते हुए राष्ट्रीय न्यायिक नियुक्ति आयोग को खारिज किया और कोलेजियम व्यवस्था का पक्ष लिया तब से यह विषय लगातार चर्चा में है। अधिकतर टिप्पणीकारों ने इसे या तो सरकार और न्यायपालिका के बीच का संघर्ष कहा है […]
Disruptions in Parliament or a stuck GST Bill: What’s bothering India Inc?
Disruptions in Parliament or a stuck GST Bill: What’s bothering India Inc? Industry captains’ petition on change.org won’t be enough to get MPs to work. India and India Inc have come a long way since 1944-45 when eight leading lights of Indian industry (J R D Tata, G D Birla, Ardeshir Dalal, Shri Ram, Kasturbhai […]