Given that the law appointing the election commissioners is being challenged in court, the two vacancies in the Election Commission must be filled using the process suggested by the Supreme Court in March 2023 The resignation of Election Commissioner (EC) Arun Goel coupled with the earlier superannuation of EC Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14, […]
Author: Prof. Jagdeep Chhokar
Interview: Jagdeep Chhokar brings his fight against electoral bonds to an end
This article is an interview of Prof Chhokar, Founder Member and Trustee of ADR, with Indian News Weekly. At the last moment of elections, the Supreme Court has created an uproar among political parties by declaring the ‘Electoral Bond Scheme’ unconstitutional. For the ruling party, this was such a system of getting access from […]
Electoral Bonds and the Curious Case of SBI Keeping Crucial Data in Physical Form
It took the largest bank in the country 17 days, from February 16 to March 3, to figure out that it cannot provide information by March 6 but will be able to provide it only by June 30. On the afternoon of March 4, 2024, the State Bank of India (SBI) filed an application in […]
Opportunity to save democracy from big money
Apprehensions were expressed soon after the judgment about the possibility that the disclosures may not happen. FEBRUARY 15, 2024, will be remembered as an important day in the history of democracy in India. The Supreme Court delivered a judgment declaring the Electoral Bond Scheme (EBS) unconstitutional. “The issuing bank shall herewith stop the issuance of […]
SC verdict removes a major election funding mistake
The pre-2017 electoral funding system was far from perfect, but distortions like electoral bonds exacerbate the problem The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision on February 15, declared the electoral bonds scheme introduced by the previous Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 2017, unconstitutional. The judgment has stirred a hornet’s nest with all kinds […]
Is There Life After Electoral Bonds?
A lot of us seem to have forgotten that political parties, elections and democracy existed even before 2017 – and so before the existence of electoral bonds. Though introduced in 2017, Electoral Bonds (EBs) seem to have become a popular topic in the national discourse ever since the recent three-day hearing in the Supreme Court […]
Benchmarks for ECs’ appointments
Interview: Why the Election Commission’s appointment is being questioned by the Supreme Court
This article is an interview of Prof Chhokar, Founder Member and Trustee of ADR, with Scroll.in. On Thursday, the Supreme Court reserved its judgement on a batch of petitions challenging the appointment process of election commissioners, the officers who comprise the Election Commission – the body responsible for conducting national and state elections. Scroll.in spoke […]
Regulating freebies: Poll panel’s baffling turnabout
This article is an interview of Prof Chhokar, Founder Member and Trustee of ADR, with Civil Society Online. Promises fly thick and fast during election time. Political parties seek to outdo one another in getting the attention of voters. In the heat of the moment, mostly anything goes and voters are none the wiser […]
Assembly Election 2022: चुनाव में मतदाता करे अपने प्रतिनिधि का चयन
मतदाता चुनाव के मुख्य अंग हैं। हमारी चुनाव प्रणाली में मतदाताओं से पूछकर उम्मीदवार उतारने की कोई प्रक्रिया ही नहीं है। राजनीतिक पार्टियां किसी को भी कहीं से खड़ा कर देती हैं। इसीलिए पार्टी बदलते समय नेताओं को जनता के प्रति कोई जवाबदेही नहीं अनुभव होती है। चुनाव का एलान होते ही नेताओं का दलबदल […]