More than seventeen years ago, Common Cause decided to take the Union of India to court for its unfulfilled promises to enact a law to establish the institution of Lokpal for combating corruption by public servants. As the matter dragged on in the Supreme Court of India, due partly to procedural complexities but largely to dilatory tactics and deliberate misrepresentation by the government, Common Cause took the initiative of holding a broad-based consultation to delineate the essential features... Read More

More than seventeen years ago, Common Cause decided to take the Union of India to court for its unfulfilled promises to enact a law to establish the institution of Lokpal for combating corruption by public servants. As the matter dragged on in the Supreme Court of India, due partly to procedural complexities but largely to dilatory tactics and deliberate misrepresentation by the government, Common Cause took the initiative of holding a broad-based consultation to delineate the essential features... Read More

*Minhaz Merchant    30 July 2012 Anna Hazare's battle against corruption isn't just his battle. It's every Indian's battle. If Anna fails, we fail. Politicians across party lines stand to lose most if the movement succeeds in getting a strong Lokpal Bill legislated in parliament. Anna is a catalyst in the fight to mitigate corruption in public life. He has no personal motive, no personal gain, no financial interest. Instead of criticising his methods, help h... Read More

*Minhaz Merchant    28 October 2012 Those who call Arvind Kejriwal an anarchist miss the point. Anarchists aim to destroy democracy . They break the law. They subvert institutions . Kejriwal does none of these. We may disagree with some of his methods i do but not with his intent. And it is important to separate method from intent. The intent is clearly right: expose the corrupt , improve governance, unmask collusive politics, and undermine the nexus between businessmen and... Read More

Common Cause has been challenging the obstructive RTI rules framed by various High Courts under the rule-making powers conferred by the RTI Act, 2005. Our analysis showed that the Allahabad High Court (RTI) Rules, 2006, were the most obstructive of all High Court rules. Hence, in November, 2011, we approached the Allahabad High Court with the request that the provisions which did not accord with the spirit of the RTI Act should be reformulated in the light of the various recommendations of the C... Read More

• Ms. Anumeha Jha   UID- Concept & Need for UID One of the biggest impediments preventing the poor in India from accessing public services, welfare benefits and subsidies is the inability to prove their own identities. This is especially detrimental for the underprivileged and the backward classes who live in India's "social, political and economic periphery." The public as well as private sector agencies require proof of identity before providing servic... Read More

A suggestion was made in the Society's annual general body meeting held on March 26, 2011 for publishing the profiles of members of the Governing Council in the Journal. The suggestion was readily accepted, for it was felt that it would not only enable the members of Common Cause to get to know the members of its governing body better, but would also open up new channels of direct communication in different fields, given the diversity of public causes and interests pursued by members of the ... Read More

To All Members of COMMON CAUSE, The Annual General Meeting of COMMON CAUSE Society will be held in COMMON CAUSE HOUSE, located at 5, Institutional Area, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi - 110 070, on March 9, 2013 at 11:00 A.M. Agenda will be as follows: Consideration of Annual Report and adoption of the Annual Accounts alongwith the Auditors Report for the year 2011-2012. Appointment of Auditors for the year 2012-2013. Activities and Programmes. Elections It m... Read More

We have audited the attached Balance Sheet of Common Cause (`the Society') as at March 31, 2012 and the Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended on that date annexed thereto. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Management of the Society. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in India. Those Standards require that we plan and ... Read More

Under the Rules & Regulations of COMMON CAUSE as amended by the Governing Council on March 8, 2007, The membership of the Society is open to individuals irrespective of caste, creed or community. Organisations, which were members of the Society as on March 8, 2007, shall henceforth be Honorary members without voting rights. The membership fee for new Individual members (with voting rights) is Rs.500/- for one year and Rs.2,500/- for life. New Ass... Read More