Tributes pour in for the teacher, activist and researcher who co-founded the Association for Democratic Reforms
Jagdeep S. Chhokar, co-founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), who passed away in Delhi on Friday (September 12, 2025), was a relentless pursuer of democratic reforms.
He was also a teacher, researcher, writer, birdwatcher, conservationist and a trained lawyer.
Prof. Chhokar, 81, who is survived by his wife Kiran, began his career in the Indian Railways and was drawn into academia after pursuing an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. He then went on to complete his PhD from the Louisiana State University, following which he joined the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad as a Professor of organisational behaviour in 1985. He retired in November 2006.
But what brought him to public life was his activism for improving democracy and governance in the country.
In 1999, with a few of his IIM colleagues, including Trilochan Sastry, 14 years his junior, he founded the ADR, which has since played a critical role in enhancing transparency in Indian elections for over two decades. The ADR has won several notable cases at the Supreme Court including the one which paved for the scrapping of the electoral bonds scheme. More recently, it is one of the key petitioners in the challenge to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Prof. Chhokar was also a prolific writer and researcher. His research appeared in several international journals, such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Columbia Journal of World Business (now called the Journal of World Business), International Labour Review, Industrial Relations and Journal of Safety Research. He also contributed chapters to edited books and has written several teaching cases. His also wrote many columns and articles for leading media houses.
He has taught in several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, and the U.S.
Since his retirement, he had also been associated with Aajeevika Bureau, a public service organisation to protect the rights and well-being of migrant workers.
A little known aspect was his love for birds. Prof. Chhokar obtained a certificate in ornithology from the Bombay Natural History Society in 2001 and enjoyed the company of birds on the IIM-A campus and wherever he travelled.
Tributes poured in for the departed citizen activist from all corners.
The ADR, in a statement, said: “To those who knew him, he was more than an advocate for clean politics, he was a generous mentor, an incisive thinker, and a warm friend. He was a fearless and honest lone but the loudest voice in the room. Colleagues, students, and those who worked alongside him remember him as patient yet persistent, principled and relentlessly committed to public accountability.”
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi described him as a “crusader for clean elections and electoral reforms” while activist Anjali Bhardwaj called him a “fierce crusader” dedicated to the cause of preserving democratic norms and institutions.
Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa said, “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’s Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha said, “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.”