Outlook Business Desk
Jagdeep Chhokar, the 81-year-old co-founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and a lifelong campaigner for electoral reforms, died in New Delhi on 12 September after a heart attack.
Jagdeep Chhokar was a leading voice for transparency in Indian politics. Through the Association for Democratic Reforms ( ADR), he helped challenge practices like electoral bonds—declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in February 2024—and fought against criminalisation in politics.
Chhokar divided his time between New Delhi and Goa. He suffered a heart attack at 4 AM at his New Delhi residence in New Friends Colony (NFC).
Jagdeep Chhokar gained recognition for driving political and electoral reforms in India. As a co-founder of ADR, he led crucial court petitions that redefined democratic practices, ensuring transparency and accountability became core to the election system.
Starting as a mechanical engineer with Indian Railways, Chhokar rose to become professor, Dean and Director-in-Charge at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Post-retirement in 2006, he devoted himself fully to strengthening India’s democratic processes.
Chhokar also served as lead editor for Culture and Leadership Across the World: The GLOBE Book, part of the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Programme. Published in 2007, it won the 2008 Ursula Gielen Global Psychology Book Award for its major contribution to global psychology.
Jagdeep Chhokar started his activism alongside IIM Ahmedabad colleague Trilochan Sastry. Their review of nomination papers during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Ahmedabad exposed gaps in transparency and marked the beginning of Chhokar’s journey in electoral reform.
Chhokar, an engineering graduate, earned an MBA in 1977, a PhD in 1983, and an LL.B. in 2005. He shared his expertise internationally, teaching in countries like Australia, France, Japan, and the United States.
Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa described Jagdeep Chhokar’s passing as a big loss. He highlighted Chhokar’s role in leading the Association for Democratic Reforms, praising both the institution and the person for upholding electoral integrity and holding authorities accountable.