Authors: Advocate Shivani Kapoor, former program lead and manager at ADR, and Ms Shelly Mahajan (Program and Research Manager (Political Party Watch) at ADR) Improving the quality of Indian democracy requires addressing several issues around political finance. In December 2025 in Doha, the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) adopted Resolution 11/7, placing transparency of […]
Electoral rolls must protect the right to vote
India’s Election Commission was established on January 25, 1950, a day before India became a republic. This was a remarkable act of foresight. In a democracy, political parties compete for the support of the electorate to earn the right to govern. The contest must be free, fair and without fear or coercion. An independent Election […]
Opinion: जब वर्तमान और पूर्व सांसदों-विधायकों पर 4 हजार से ज्यादा केस तो कैसे साफ होगी राजनीति
लेखक: मेजर जनरल अनिल वर्मा (रि.) और नवीन सिंह आपको जानकर हैरानी होगी लेकिन भारत के मौजूदा और पूर्व सांसद-विधायकों के खिलाफ 4,000 से अधिक आपराधिक मामले लंबित हैं। इनमें से 519 मामलों की सुनवाई 10 साल से ज्यादा समय से चल रही है। अब ऐसे में सवाल यही उठता है कि राजनीति साफ कैसे […]
When poll seizures lead nowhere
Beyond Reservation: What Still Keeps Women out of Electoral Politics?
ADR partnered with Public Policy India for its first research report, The State of Policy in India Report, 2026. Ms Shelly Mahajan (Program and Research Manager (Political Party Watch) at ADR) authored an essay on “Beyond Reservation: What Still Keeps Women out of Electoral Politics?”. Link of the full research paper: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1B1wof7qKT7A4-DxwZhGt0A70w4moy17k
Right To Vote ≠ Right To Access: A Critique Of India’s Electoral Disability Regime
The author of this essay is Apoorva Singh (3rd year student from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun). ADR collaborated with the Centre for Human Rights and Disability Studies (CHRDS), Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla, for the National Article Writing Competition on “Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. This essay has been published […]
No Voter Left Behind? The Illusion Of Independent Voting For Persons With Disabilities In Digital India
The authors of this essay are Ananya Singh and Divyansh Gera (2nd year students from Maharaja Surajmal Institute, New Delhi). ADR collaborated with the Centre for Human Rights and Disability Studies (CHRDS), Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla, for the National Article Writing Competition on “Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. This essay has been […]
The Last Frontier Of Enfranchisement: Dismantling
The author of this essay is Rangoli Singh (2nd year student from Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla). ADR collaborated with the Centre for Human Rights and Disability Studies (CHRDS), Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla, for the National Article Writing Competition on “Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. This essay has been published under […]
The SIR verdict of the SC: A case of insufficient analysis
The recent judgment of the Supreme Court justifying the validity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the case of Bihar and giving a clean chit to it appear to be deeply flawed. The controversy has been mostly restricted to debates about the resulting disenfranchisement of lakhs or crores of citizens and the manner of […]
Another law to target political opponents?
The 130th Amendment Bill’s framing betrays its political motive. Ajit Ranade on why it’s not about keeping criminals out of power In late February, a Delhi court discharged all 23 accused in the excise policy case, ruling there was “no overarching conspiracy or criminal intent” in the policy at issue. One of the accused had spent 530 […]