Implement
the Court Verdicts
The sources of income of candidates should be
compulsorily disclosed. Supreme Court has imposed an additional disclosure norm
for candidates contesting elections. SC has ordered to include the sources of
their income, and those of their spouses and dependants, to investigate any
unexplained or disproportionate increase in the assets of legislators during
their tenure. This is aimed at preserving the purity of the electoral process. SC has
also ordered the striking down of a clause that saved sitting legislators from
immediate disqualification upon conviction.
It is a fundamental right that states that
voters are required to be informed of all relevant details about a contestant.
Candidates should furnish details of any criminal antecedents, educational
qualifications and assets. Lawmakers amassing wealth or gaining
unusual access to public funds and loans are concerns that need to be addressed.
Non-disclosure of assets and their sources would amount to a “corrupt practice”.
The idea to collect data about the assets of
legislators and periodically examine them is laudable, but it is not clear
which authority will run it. A fully informed electorate and transparent
candidature will be key components of future elections in India.
The court directive is a positive effort but
our leaders have ingenious ways of hoodwinking public by keeping large amounts
of assets outside the country that can't be detected easily. Hence, there is a
lot more that has to be addressed. Verdict of Supreme Court must be implemented
on ground.
It would be too good if the Judges follow their
own thinking and make compulsory for judges to declare their own assets.
Also, anyone who is a founder or head of a
political party should also be required to disclose his annual income along
with sources.
We notice that all parties often incur expenses
much beyond limits prescribed by law and ECI cannot do much about such
violation of law. This is not a very happy scenario. Hence a vital reform that
is required is regarding use of unaccounted money in elections. There must be a
compulsory audit of accounts of all political parties which will have to be
done by a professionally qualified Accountant and then report submitted to ECI.
After such audit, over a period of time role of money in political activities and
particularly our elections will certainly be curtailed
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