Jagdeep Chhokar turned lens on polls & politicians

Academic and activist Jagdeep Singh Chhokar, whose unflagging passion for transparency and probity in electoral politics enlightened and empowered the Indian voter like nothing else, passed away following a heart attack on Friday.

He was 80.A founding member of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the NGO to which he remained devoted till the end, Chhokar, and his team, wrenched out two major victories against poll malpractices.In 2003, their efforts ensured that candidates had to declare assets and disclose criminal cases in nomination forms. Then in 2024, India took another forward stride in ensuring a more level-playing field among political parties in electioneering when the apex court banned electoral bonds.

Once more, ADR was at the forefront of the protracted struggle. This year, ADR is the main petitioner against special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar electoral rolls.As the tribute put out by ADR says, "Prof Chhokar's vision reshaped the way India thinks about elections and accountability."Avijit.GhoshAcademic and activist Jagdeep Singh Chhokar, whose unflagging passion for transparency and probity in electoral politics enlightened and empowered the Indian voter like nothing else, passed away following a heart attack on Friday.

He was 80.A founding member of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the NGO to which he remained devoted till the end, Chhokar, and his team, wrenched out two major victories against poll malpractices.In 2003, their efforts ensured that candidates had to declare assets and disclose criminal cases in nomination forms. Then in 2024, India took another forward stride in ensuring a more level-playing field among political parties in electioneering when the apex court banned electoral bonds.

Once more, ADR was at the forefront of the protracted struggle. This year, ADR is the main petitioner against special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar electoral rolls.As the tribute put out by ADR says, "Prof Chhokar's vision reshaped the way India thinks about elections and accountability."Funding, voters' list, expenditure, selection of candidates, Jagdeep Chhokar and ADR worked to improve every aspect of the electoral system.

Their contribution is both unprecedented and seminal," says social activist Nikhil De, co-founder of the NGO, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.Before every poll, state or national, journalists would receive a detailed account of each MP or MLA's family connection, financial record, and sundry information available in the public domain.Born in Kharar, a small town near Chandigarh, Chhokar trained as a mechanical engineer and was employed with the railways.

But he eventually took the MBA route earning his PhD from Louisiana State University. In an interview with journalist Ajaz Ashraf, he recounted how IG Patel, the famed director of IIM, Ahmedabad, sent him a cable from New York, asking for a meeting. Chhokar cheekily replied, only if Patel paid for the flight and put him up in the same hotel.

He received the job on the phone. Chhokar would retire as IIM Ahmedabad's director-in-charge in 2006.But years before that, a younger colleague, Trilochan Sastry, incensed at the growing trend of criminals in politics, would urge him to do something. In a Ted Talk, Chhokar admitted to spending three months trying to convince Sastry that professors like them shouldn't get involved in such things. But eventually he stepped in. In 1999, ADR filed a public interest litigation (PIL) on the matter. It was the beginning of his life as an activist and the formation of an enduring collaboration with Sastry.De recalls how during his public addresses Chhokar would often ask the audience, "Who elects our political candidates?" When people replied, "we do," he would say, no, before pointing out that voters were presented a fait accompli and people only elected candidates selected by political parties. "The parties decide the candidates, you don't," he would say. Chhokar's life, says De, was dedicated to creating an electoral system which was more transparent and accountable to the common people and which empowered them in every way.His passing was widely mourned. RTI activist Lokesh Batra said, "he was a fearless leader who carried people along and who spoke his mind without mincing any words." In his post, political activist Yogendra Yadav described Chhokar as "humble and self-effacing to the core." Activist Harsh Mander called him "a gentle giant". ADR's tribute said, "To those who knew him, he was more than an advocate for clean politics, he was a generous mentor, an incisive thinker, and a warm friend.

"Chhokar was also a man of diverse passions. A trained lawyer and a keen birdwatcher, he approached each of his pursuits with curiosity and rigour. Not many know he had a certificate in ornithology from the Bombay Natural History Society.Chhokar's commitment to public good extended to his final act. He donated his body for research to Lady Hardinge Medical College.(With inputs from Parth Shastri in Ahmedabad)