ADR co-founder who played key role in electoral reforms dies at 81

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) co-founder Jagdeep Chhokar, who was widely regarded as a torchbearer of reforms in India’s democratic process and governance, died on Friday morning after a heart attack. He was 81. A retired Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad professor, Chhokar was also a lawyer and engineer who served in the Indian railways.

- Snehashish Roy

ADR achieved landmark victories in the courts under Chhokar's leadership. The Supreme Court empowered voters with the right to know the criminal, financial, and educational backgrounds of candidates in the 2002 Union of India vs ADR case. The verdict in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties vs Union of India (2013) case introduced the “None of the Above” option on electronic voting machines. In the Lily Thomas case (2013), the Supreme Court mandated the immediate disqualification of lawmakers convicted of crimes carrying a sentence of over two years. ADR was one of the petitioners in the electoral bond case. In 2024, the Supreme Court struck down the 201