RTI applicant alleges Gujarat CM didn't reveal in 2012 poll affidavit that she was company director

By A Representative

A right to information applicant has suggested that Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel, one of the closest confidantes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, did not declare her position as director in a non-profit company in the affidavit she filed before the Election Commission of India ahead of the December 2012 Gujarat state assembly elections. The company, according to the RTI applicant Roshan Shah, who brought this to light, was registered as a section 25 company under the Companies Act with the registrar of companies (RoC), making it a non-profit organisation.

According to Shah, “As per election law, if a candidate does not disclose their business interests in their nomination, she or he is liable to be disqualified.” Under a section 25 company registered under Companies Act, the non-profit company's dividends are not distributed to its members. However, members can take use its funds for expenses. "Most global large non-profits are hugely funded and are cash rich", Shah said.

“Non-profit company does not mean that it does not receive funds from any sources, and it also does not mean that the directors do not take out money from its funds”, Shah insisted, adding, “Patel contested the Gujarat assembly elections from Ghatlodia constituency in Ahmedabad. In her affidavit Anandiben Patel did not disclose her interests in Gramsheel Women Empowerment, established as a section 25 company under the Companies Act on March 29, 2011. She is one of its directors.”

Pointing out that “this is the only company registered in RoC in which Patel is director, and was Director at the time of filing her nominations for the Gujarat state assembly elections in 2012”, Shah adds, “Hiding material and substantial fact in affidavit is an offence for any elected representative, and Patel by not disclosing this information in her affidavit is liable to be disqualified.”

Shah has further alleged that the RTI query has “revealed” that the Gramshree Women Empowerment company has not filed balance sheet with the RoC either ever since its inception. “Usually RoC levies quarterly fine if anyone fails to file return, but it seems that the RoC – because of her political stature – has not levied any fine on the company either.”

Shah wonders, “The RTI response questioning the details of fine did not provide any response from the public information officer… If the lawmakers themselves hide material facts and fail to file balance sheet and follow corporate rules, why should they get separate special treatment compared to others?” He adds, “Concealing of information in affidavit is substantial since this is the only firm in which Patel is director. This is a gross offence.”

Finding more discrepancies in the affidavit, Shah says, interestingly, in the 2007 affidavit, Patel signed in Gujarati but in 2012 she signed in English. It also brings to question as to how many signatures one can use as per the law and shouldn't the returning officer verify the signature on record and reject the nomination for signature mismatch.”

When contacted, Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia denied that the RTI was filed on the party’s instructions. “I was told a TV channel carried the news. We are investigating. An RTI applicant appears has brought this to light. We will take appropriate steps after consulting legal opinion in the matter”, he said. There is so far no word on it from the chief minister's office.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Search This Blog