The original petition requested only for the EB scheme to be declared unconstitutional. The SC did that but went ahead and also issued directions to SBI and ECI to ensure full implementation of the judgment. This initiative of the apex court must be acknowledged and commended 8 pm of March 14, 2024, was somewhat reminiscent […]
Election Commission of India
Filling up vacancies in Election Commission is a matter of public interest
Given that the law appointing the election commissioners is being challenged in court, the two vacancies in the Election Commission must be filled using the process suggested by the Supreme Court in March 2023 The resignation of Election Commissioner (EC) Arun Goel coupled with the earlier superannuation of EC Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14, […]
Electoral Bonds | The Way Forward: Tackling the Pre-2017 System
Exposure to public scrutiny is one of the known means for getting courageous and credible people to govern. On 15th February 2024, the Supreme Court of India finally paid much-needed tribute to that little man, a citizen, a voter whose contributions to a participatory democracy were incessantly disparaged by the political establishments in recent times. It is […]
Interview: Jagdeep Chhokar brings his fight against electoral bonds to an end
This article is an interview of Prof Chhokar, Founder Member and Trustee of ADR, with Indian News Weekly. At the last moment of elections, the Supreme Court has created an uproar among political parties by declaring the ‘Electoral Bond Scheme’ unconstitutional. For the ruling party, this was such a system of getting access from […]
Electoral Bonds and the Curious Case of SBI Keeping Crucial Data in Physical Form
It took the largest bank in the country 17 days, from February 16 to March 3, to figure out that it cannot provide information by March 6 but will be able to provide it only by June 30. On the afternoon of March 4, 2024, the State Bank of India (SBI) filed an application in […]
Opportunity to save democracy from big money
Apprehensions were expressed soon after the judgment about the possibility that the disclosures may not happen. FEBRUARY 15, 2024, will be remembered as an important day in the history of democracy in India. The Supreme Court delivered a judgment declaring the Electoral Bond Scheme (EBS) unconstitutional. “The issuing bank shall herewith stop the issuance of […]
The clear message in the Court’s ‘no’ to electoral bonds
The landmark judgment of the Supreme Court of India is a reminder that citizens need to be ever watchful in a democracy ‘The issue of money in elections, which includes the use of black money and bribing of voters using campaign funds and freebies, still remains’. The judgment of the Supreme Court of India, on […]
SC verdict removes a major election funding mistake
The pre-2017 electoral funding system was far from perfect, but distortions like electoral bonds exacerbate the problem The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision on February 15, declared the electoral bonds scheme introduced by the previous Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 2017, unconstitutional. The judgment has stirred a hornet’s nest with all kinds […]
Does the long-awaited Election Commission reform through legislation pass the smell test?
The GoI was prodded after 73 years to table a Bill when the March 2023 SC judgment constituted a three-member bipartisan selection committee comprising the PM, CJI and LOP to appoint the CEC and ECs. But the Bill’s selection panel comprising the PM, LOP and a Union minister allows the Executive to retain control over […]
A Big Bang Poll Reform: Taking Election Commissioner selection out of government’s hands was long overdue
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 […]