The February 2020 order pushes the envelope further on restricting criminal candidates from contesting elections A February 2020 Supreme Court judgment on criminalisation in politics may have far-reaching consequences for Indian democracy. It will first be implemented in the coming Bihar elections in October 2020. The Court has asked the political parties to state “the reasons for […]
It is not easy to get down to writing when the country, indeed the world, faces an uncertain future due to the coronavirus pandemic. But this is perhaps a good time to try and explore the impact of the coronavirus on democracy. It is well known that crises bring out the best and worst in […]
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were first conceived by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a replacement for the ballot paper and the ballot box in 1977. The design and development of the machine was entrusted to a public sector undertaking, the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) in Hyderabad which developed a prototype by […]
प्रत्येक संसद सदस्य को अपने क्षेत्र के विकास के लिए सांसद निधि के तहत हर साल पांच करोड़ रुपये दिये जाते हैं. सदस्य के सुझाव के आधार पर इस राशि से क्षेत्र में विकास कार्य कराये जाते हैं. हालांकि, इस प्रक्रिया पर सवाल हैं. स्थानीय क्षेत्र विकास के लिए सांसदों को दिया जानेवाला यह फंड […]
Political parties in India pursue power without adequate transparency and accountability Recent events yet again highlight the need for electoral reforms. The campaign for the Delhi Assembly elections was filled with hate speeches. In Madhya Pradesh, the ruling Congress is battling defections.Last year, in November, in Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister early […]
Unless we disqualify criminal candidates from standing for elections, our legislatures will keep getting more and more tainted The Supreme Court this week came down heavily on criminalisation of politics. It asked political parties to explain why they need to give tickets to people with criminal backgrounds. The court also asked them to publicise widely, […]
The phrase ‘criminalisation of politics’ entered the Indian lexicon in 1993 when it was used by the Vohra Committee which had been set up “to take stock of all available information about the activities of crime syndicates/mafia organisations which had developed links with and were being protected by government functionaries and political personalities”. This high-powered […]
हैदराबाद में एक पशु चिकित्सक युवती के साथ सामूहिक दुष्कर्म और उसकी हत्या कर उसके शव को जलाने की जो नृशंस घटना घटी उससे पूरे देश में गम और गुस्सा दिखाई दिया। देश भर के लोगों का रोष स्वाभाविक भी था, लेकिन जो आक्रोश संसद में और संसद के बाहर विभिन्न दलों के नेताओं ने […]
The heading of my column is, obviously, an adaptation of a famous sentence written by Ian Fleming, creator of the iconic spy, James Bond. The same series had one more film titled Licence to Kill. It is a strange coincidence that while James Bond supposedly had the licence to kill the bad guys, it may […]
General Elections 2014 marked social media platforms as a major tool to impact the dynamics of politics. It is no news that social media played a key role to spread fake news, hate speech, and paid news to mislead voters. Hence, prior to the Lok Sabha 2019, Election Commission of India (ECI), along with the […]