Jagdeep S Chhokar, a conscience keeper of democracy and one of the founding members of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), has died after a massive heart attack. He was 80. 
He had been recovering from a shoulder fracture sustained in a fall. According to reports, he also developed a lung infection during treatment.
Till his last breath, Chhokar advocated electoral integrity. He remained steadfast in his ideology that democracy must belong to the people. His leaving the physical sheath marks the end of an era.
His presence shone through the landscape of Indian politics. It’s the passing of a voice that never stopped speaking for justice.
A retired professor at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, Chhokar co-founded ADR in 1999. It all began with an examination of the nomination papers of candidates contesting the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Ahmedabad.
That act spurred a revolution of sorts calling for greater transparency in Indian politics. 
Candidates at the time were required to reveal very little personal information. Chhokar and other scholars desired that voters should have more data to make wise choices. 
Following the campaign, the Delhi High Court issued a historic ruling in November 2000. Subsequently, candidates in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were asked to submit sworn affidavits in which they had to detail their criminal histories, educational backgrounds, and income sources.
As a historian aptly said on social media: “Trust me Jagdeep taught us that leaders don’t come from a cult or are non biological! They need to be accountable to you and me !”
The Union government challenged the order. However, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s directive and instructed the Election Commission to act within two months. 
Expectedly, it led to strong political opposition. The government went to the extent of promulgating an ordinance after Parliament was adjourned without a date. 
ADR, with Jagdeep as one of the lead petitioners, took matters in their hands. They moved the Supreme Court, which in March 2003 struck down the ordinance and declared the amendment to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, unconstitutional.
Over nearly three decades, ADR’s persistent efforts have led to several crucial Supreme Court judgments that changed the electoral landscape. The 2002 ruling made it mandatory for candidates to declare their criminal records, financial assets, and educational backgrounds. In February 2024, the Supreme Court held the government’s electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional, again in a case led by ADR. 
In April the same year, another ADR petition resulted in the introduction of a new system for verifying Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), allowing candidates in second place to request checks.
Jagdeep’s journey into activism followed his distinguished academic and professional career. Beginning as a mechanical engineer in Indian Railways, he went on to serve as a professor, Dean, and Director in-Charge at IIM Ahmedabad. Upon retirement, he devoted himself entirely to democratic activism, a commitment he upheld for 25 years and until the very end of his life.
Till he lived, he continued to fight for the purification of electoral rolls and raised alarms about the special intensive revision in Bihar, warning that it could lead to voter disenfranchisement.
He also highlighted the dark underbelly of political funding. Chhokar wrote that concerns about allowing non-individual entities to fund political parties had been raised as early as 1975. He warned that such a practice posed a growing danger that could eventually overwhelm and even throttle democracy in the country.
In another article, he questioned why political parties should be exempt from the Right to Information Act, especially when even the Chief Justice of India was subject to it.
He also championed the inclusion of the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option on electronic voting machines—a reform the Supreme Court endorsed in 2013, giving voters the power to reject all candidates on the ballot.
Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa said on X: “The loss of Prof Jagdeep Chhokar is tragic. He spearheaded the Association of Democratic Reforms, which has rendered yeoman service in maintaining high standards of electoral democracy. People like him & ADR are vital for questioning authorities, a healthy sign for any democracy.”
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha was quoted as saying: “The passing of Jagdeep Chhokar is not just the loss of a man; it is the silencing of a conscience that spoke relentlessly for the integrity of India’s democracy. As founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms, he forced the nation to look into the mirror of its electoral practices and confront the cracks beneath the surface of its democratic edifice.”
He added: “His departure leaves behind a void, but also a legacy—an unfinished task that belongs now to all who care about democracy. We must also renew our pledge to the cause he lived for: that elections in India be not just contests of power, but rituals of trust.”
Manoj Kumar Jha, Member of Parliament, said on X: “The passing of @JagdeepChhokar  is not just the loss of a man; it is the silencing of a conscience that spoke relentlessly for the integrity of India’s democracy. As founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms, he forced the nation to look into the mirror of its electoral practices and confront the cracks beneath the surface of its democratic edifice.”
The ideals he stood for may continue to inspire India. A legacy etched into the conscience of the nation.