Draft:Common Cause (India)

• Comment: This is written like a paean of praise. An example: "legendary civil servant". I do not think this word is appropriate, because it is peacockery. There are many more examples 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 07:03, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

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Common Cause is a registered civil society based in New Delhi, India that seeks to promote democracy, good governance and public policy reforms through advocacy, interventions, and formal and informal engagement with policymakers.

About

Common Cause is recognised for its commitment to public causes and its role in promoting integrity in public life and institutions. The organization has a reputation for its initiatives, advocacy, and public interest litigations (PILs). It is particularly noted for the impact of the numerous PILs filed in the Supreme Court and High Courts, with several cases proceeding to the National Commission established under the Consumer Protection Act.

History

Common Cause was founded in 1980 by a retired Indian Civil Servant H D Shourie. Since 2015, it has been headed by Vipul Mudgal, a former Editor of the Hindustan Times in Jaipur and Lucknow, a former Regional Editor of Asia Times in Bangkok and a BBC journalist in London and Delhi.

Publications

In collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Common Cause has been publishing the Annual Status of Policing in India Reports (SPIR) since 2018 on police reforms.. The SPIR collates time-series data on the performance of the police and levels of the citizens’ trust and satisfaction in their day-to-day work.

Common Cause is also among the leading contributors to the India Justice Report (IJR), Centre for Social Justice, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS-Prayaas-Field Action Project, and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

For nearly four decades, Common Cause has also published a quarterly journal, titled 'Common Cause'. The journal is registered by the Registrar of Newspaper in India (RNI) under the Press and Registration of Books Act 1867 and it is a platform for sharing insights, research, and perspectives on various issues of general interest.

Landmark Cases

Table 1

Year	Title	Petition Number	Summary
2010	Cancellation of 2G Spectrum allocation	W.P.(C) 423/2010	Common Cause filed the petition in public interest seeking appropriate directions for cancellation of the entire allocation of 2G spectrum and telecom licenses issued by the Department of Telecommunications based on two press releases issued on 10th January 2008.
2014	Writ Against Illegal Mining In Odisha	W.P.(C) 114/2014	Common Cause filed a writ in the Supreme Court, leading to the stay of 26 illegal mines and a 2017 ruling imposing penalties on companies for the illegal mining. The court also directed the formation of an Expert Committee and a review of the National Mineral Policy, 2008.
2018	Electoral Bond Scheme	W.P.(C) 880/2017 tagged with W.P.(C) 333/2015 and SLP (C) 18190/2014	Common Cause and Association for Democratic Reforms were petitioners in the Electoral Bonds case, where the Supreme Court verdict struck down the 2018 scheme for violating the right to information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. They challenged the scheme's constitutionality in a 2017 PIL, with other petitioners joining later.
2018	Living Will, Right to Life	W.P. (C) 215/2005	The petition had sought the enactment of a law on the lines of the Patient Autonomy and Self-determination Act of the USA, which sanctions the practice of executing a ‘living will’ like an advance directive for refusal of life-prolonging medical procedures in the event of the testator’s incapacitation.

Common Cause (India) served as a co-petitioner alongside Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer Prakash Singh in the Prakash Singh vs. Union of India (2006) case.

Additionally, Common Cause India has been a petitioner or co-petitioner in over 100 public interest court cases in the High Courts and the Supreme Court of India