Articles

APPOINTMENT OF CBI SPL DIRECTOR CHALLENGED

In its quest to maintain transparency and institutional integrity in the appointment of  key functionaries in sensitive organisations, Common Cause had filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of Mr. Rakesh Asthana as the Special Director (SD) CBI.The petition was dismissed on Nov 28, 2017 by a bench comprising Justice R.K. Agrawal and...Read More


CC SEEKS SIT PROBE ON OVER-INVOICING BY PRIVATE FIRMS

Common  Cause has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking a thorough investigation by an SIT into the over-invoicing carried out by various private power generating companies as reported by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in its various investigation reports. The said scam unearthed by DRI discloses that several private companies have siphoned away several thousand crores...Read More


ELECTORAL BONDS CHALLENGED BY ADR, COMMON CAUSE

Common Cause and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) have challenged the introduction of the Electoral Bonds, as part of the Finance Act 2017, which have, arguably, made electoral funding of political parties more opaque and legitimised corruption to an unprecedented scale. A PIL filed in the Supreme Court alleges that the bonds make the electoral funding unlimited for big corporates and...Read More


LANDMARK VERDICT: 100% PENALTY ON ILLEGAL MINING

In a major victory for Common Cause, the Supreme Court on Aug 2, 2017, imposed a hundred percent penalty on mining companies indulging in illegal mining on account of lack of forest and environment clearances, mining outside lease/permitted area and for mining in excess of what has been allowed. This judgment was delivered in a petition filed in 2014 by Common Cause to curb the rampant...Read More


THE BATTLE FOR AUDIT IS WON! Noida, G. Noida, Y. Expressway

The battle is won for the CAG audit of Noida, G. Noida and Yamuna Expressway Authority! Common Cause has been campaigning for such an audit for several years and its PIL in this regard is still pending at the Allahabad High Court. The UP Government has written to the Accountant General to start conducting such an audit immediately, as reported in the media. Earlier, the newly elected Yogi...Read More


LOKPAL UPDATE IN SUPREME COURT

In a petition filed by Common Cause in 2014, the Supreme Court today strongly pushed for the appointment of a Lokpal and said that the legislation passed to appoint an anti-corruption ombudsman – a Lokpal – was a workable one and that there was no need for the Centre to keep its implementation pending. The bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Naveen Sinha added that the...Read More


PIL ON FM RADIO: GOVT REPLY SOUGHT

The Supreme Court has asked the government to consider extending the content of news and current affairs for community and F.M. radio stations, at least to include such news and current affairs, as were already in public domain and broadcasted by the licensed operators in the print and electronic media. To this, the counsel for UOI sought a short adjournment, so as to obtain instructions...Read More


REGULAR CBI DIRECTOR APPOINTED AFTER PIL

With the appointment of Mr. Alok Kumar Verma as the new CBI Director, post approval by the selection committee,  the Supreme Court closed the petition filed by Common Cause challenging the appointment of the interim Director of CBI in violation of established norms. The request of our counsel, Mr. Prashant Bhushan to the SC, to direct the Centre to place before the Court, the minutes of...Read More


ILLICIT PAYOUTS TO POLITICIANS: BIRLA/SAHARA DIARIES

The Apex Court has rejected the demand for a probe into bribes allegedly paid to politicians mentioned in the  Birla Sahara diaries, saying it would be dangerous for democracy to order a probe on the basis of loose sheets inadmissible as evidence. Common Cause had approached the Supreme Court regarding bribes paid to prominent politicians by corporate groups. It is feared that...Read More


ECI BANS USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PARTY PROMOTION

Years after Common Cause pointed this out, the Election Commission has issued an order with the direction that no political party should use or allow the use of public funds, public place or government machinery for promoting itself or the symbol allotted to it. This directive came on a “request” of the Delhi High Court  asking it to issue norms to restrain political parties...Read More