The story so far: Two recent developments have brought under focus the disclosure norms that candidates are expected to comply with in election law. One relates to reports that the BJP candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, had allegedly failed to report all the assets he owns in the mandatory affidavit accompanying his nomination papers. Another report was about the Supreme Court noting that not every little detail needs to be disclosed, as candidates also have their right to privacy.
What is the law related to disclosure?
The requirement that prospective candidates will have to disclose their criminal antecedents, if any, their educational qualifications and their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependants, arose from a landmark Supreme Court judgment on May 2, 2002. The court ruled that the voters’ right to information in a democracy is part of the citizens’ right to express their opinion through their vote.
