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 […]
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The Role of Fake News in Elections
The Indian Constitution under Article 19 may have provided ‘Freedom of Speech’ to all Indian citizens but this right comes with certain restrictions. Article 19 is the core of the democratic values of our country but when this freedom is misused for hate propaganda for electoral gains, it is disrespectful for the democracy and the […]
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 […]
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) […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
What Happens if the 2019 Elections Lead to a Hung House?
There needs to be a broad national consensus on what to do if no party gets a majority. Trying to predict election outcomes is fraught with uncertainties. The current Lok Sabha election arguably is even more so. Still, a commonly held view seems to be that no party is likely to get to the half-way […]
Electoral Bonds: The SC’s Interim Order Puts It in a Catch-22 of Its Own Making
The provisions implemented under the scheme entail that parties do not know who their donors are. As a result, it leaves the apex court’s order open to non-compliance. The Supreme Court of India (SC) pronounced a significant “interim order” on April 12, 2019, in what might be called the electoral bonds case. These “group of […]
Following a Trail of Digital Breadcrumbs – Are the 2019 Elections Truly Safe?
The authors of this article are Prof Jagdeep Chhokar (Founder Member & Trustee of ADR) & Mr Jaskirat Singh (Trustee of ADR). The Neta app, which sprung up last year and allows users to rate their leaders, has some murky connections to media houses, political analysts and big businesses, raising red flags on the possible […]