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 […]
Recent Posts
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 […]
The case of the missing voters
Two ex-CECs have been quoted as saying that the UIDAI had lobbied long and hard to link voter IDs and Aadhaar as a way to legitimise the controversial biometric ID project. In early 2018, about 6.6 million voters-out of a total of 50 million-were found missing from the Karnataka electoral rolls. More than 1.5 million […]
Why independents fail to make a mark in elections
The stranglehold of political parties on the electoral and political system continues to increase with time. The anti-defection law, passed in 1985, formalised the control of political parties even on Parliament. Despite a large number of candidates on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), the candidates with a realistic chance of getting elected are two or […]
Even in May, no demand for Electoral Bonds worth Rs 1000 and Rs 10000
There was an intense debate around the introduction of electoral bonds by the government. Data obtained from SBI reveals that there is hardly any demand for electoral bonds of lower denomination even in the month of May. Not a single bond in the denomination Rs 1000 & Rs 10000 was purchased in May, while 99.7% of […]
A question of election funding
Illustration by Tanmoy Chakraborty The Election Commission of Indias reported response, to a Right to Information (RTI) application, stating that political parties are not within the purview of the RTI created quite a stir. To quote the ECI: [The] requisite information is not available [with] the Commission. This is related to political parties and they […]