– An article by Maj Gen Anil Verma (Retd) (Head of ADR) and Ms Shelly Mahajan (Program and Research Manager (Political Party Watch) at ADR) There is a need for intervention to ensure healthy electoral competition and to diversify the sources of political funding. Otherwise, it is always the citizens at large who end up […]
Instead of deriding NOTA as a toothless or failed idea, all stakeholders must combine to make it stronger ‘None of the above’ (NOTA) as an option was introduced in the EVMs on the basis of the Supreme Court judgement in the PUCL vs Union of India case of September 27, 2013. The court then stated, […]
Disqualification at the stage of framing of charges, accompanied by other legal safeguards, could be an effective means to curb such criminalisation. EARLIER this week, while hearing a petition seeking a lifetime ban on convicted politicians, the Supreme Court observed that it found no logic in a convicted legislator being barred from contesting elections for […]
Will the government bring an ordinance to overrule the SC judgement? Unlikely, because all the amendments done to various acts – IT Act, Companies Act, RPA 1951 – have been struck down as unconstitutional. Moreover, SC has upheld the citizens right to know on sources of political funding. Hence any future scheme introduced to curb […]
Supreme Court has done what successive governments shied away from. Selection of CEC and ECs by government was problematic. With weighty decisions on conducting elections and adjudicating disputes between parties to be made by this high constitutional office, election commissioner selection is best taken out of Executive’s hands On May 17, 2021, the Association for […]
A majority of opposition parties, including the Congress, have demanded a return to ballot paper or cross-checking of at least 30 per cent of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs). The demand was put forth at an all-party meet convened by the Election Commission Monday to discuss electoral reforms. Critics, however, believe that the opposition is […]
ADR’s strong reaction has come a day ahead of the important hearing in Supreme Court on a PIL seeking lifetime ban on convicted persons to contest elections. Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the NGO spearheading campaign to stop tainted leaders from entering Parliament and State Assemblies has welcomed Government’s move to set up 12 fast […]
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his 2017 budget speech, stressed the government’s commitment to cleansing the system of political funding. ‘Money power’ is the bane of our electoral system. Political parties are collecting and spending huge amounts of money for elections, 70 percent of which is from unknown sources and a substantial percentage is, allegedly, […]
चुनाव और उसका भ्रष्टाचार, अन्याय, धनबल की ताकत और तानाशाही और प्रशासन की अक्षमता, जीवन को नर्क बना देगी।