Jagdeep S. Chhokar

Jagdeep is the co-founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms. ADR was founded with an aim to improve democracy and governance in India. At ADR, he has been instrumental in advocating for electoral reforms, notably trying to bring political parties under the ambit of the RTI Act and contributing to the Supreme Court ruling that required candidates contesting elections to declare their criminal, financial, and educational antecedents. In 2017, ADR challenged the electoral bonds scheme, which the Supreme Court held unconstitutional in 2024.

In the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, ADR raised concerns about discrepancies between votes cast and counted via EVMs noting that the figures matched in only four constituencies nationwide. He is able to demystify complex legal issues—infused with anecdotes and examples—making even the most intricate concepts accessible to the layperson. ADR was founded in 1999 when he was a professor at IIM Ahmedabad.