Common Cause

Advocates and champions the rights and privileges of every segment of the population

  • FCRA
  • 80G
  • 12A
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About

  • Headquarters

    New Delhi, Delhi

  • Since

    1980

Common Cause is committed to advocating for public causes and upholding the principles of probity in public life and the integrity of institutions. Ov Read moreer time, it has established a reputation for its initiatives, advocacy efforts, and public interest litigations (PILs). Common Cause's mission revolves around promoting democracy, fostering good governance, and driving reforms in public policy through a combination of advocacy, interventions, and engagement with policymakers. This includes the dissemination of ideas, organizing events, and launching campaigns. As a registered society with a membership exceeding 2500 individuals across the nation, Common Cause operates with a dedicated team of professionals led by a Director cum Chief Executive. It is guided by a Governing Council composed of distinguished citizens, with a President at the helm. The organization thrives on pro bono support from some of India's most renowned lawyers, policymakers, and development thinkers. Its activities primarily rely on grants and voluntary contributions from members, friends, and supporters. Common Cause has made a significant impact through its numerous PILs filed in the Supreme Court and High Courts, as well as cases brought before the National Commission established under the Consumer Protection Act. Notably, one of its earliest cases focused on pensioner issues, benefiting nearly four million pensioners through landmark Supreme Court judgments. The organization's interventions have continued to result in significant judgments that positively affect the lives of millions. Some recent notable achievements in the Supreme Court include the cancellation of telecom spectrum allocations, the cancellation of arbitrarily allocated captive coal blocks with directives for transparent auctions, and the declaration of Section 66A of the IT Act as unconstitutional, thus safeguarding freedom of expression in the cyber space. Additionally, Common Cause has successfully campaigned against the misuse of public funds through self-congratulatory political advertisements. Common Cause actively participates in government and parliamentary committees, offering representations and proposals on various issues, such as consumer protection, taxation reforms, public health, housing, right to information, right to education, and employment generation. The organization has also organized seminars addressing critical governance topics and conducted symposiums exploring new paradigms in self-governance, underscoring its commitment to advancing public causes and fostering positive change in society.

Programs

  • Governance

    Common Cause holds the belief that citizens can play an active role in enhancing governance responsiveness and efficiency to alleviate the hardships faced by ordinary people and foster a climate of optimism, equity, and empathy. It acknowledges the intricate and interconnected nature of governance issues, spanning various critical domains such as law enforcement, judiciary, education, healthcare, transportation, land administration, infrastructure, skill development, employment creation, and urban governance. Addressing these challenges demands not only specialized knowledge and insightful perspectives but also goodwill and structural reforms.

  • Environment

    Common Cause has been deeply concerned about this matter and has submitted several petitions in the public interest addressing various environmental issues, a few of which are outlined below:
    Safety Concerns in Nuclear Energy Programme
    Safety issues in Kudankulam Nuclear Plant
    Preventing the export of logs of red sandalwood
    Pitiable condition of mortuaries
    Slaughter house pollution
    Prevent usage of incinerators for bio-medical waste treatment
    Animal hazards on roads
    Illegal mining in the state of Odisha

  • Human development

    Here are some of the actions taken by Common Cause through PILs and advocacy programs, focusing on human development issues:

    Right of Construction workers of C’wealth Games projects
    Rights of school teachers
    Exploitation of children by begging mafia
    Right to education (RTE)

Leadership Team

  • H.D.SHOURIE

    Founder

  • Anshi Beohar

    Manager (Law and Policy)

  • Vipul Mudgal

    Director, Common Cause

  • Radhika Jha

    Research executive and legal consultant

Demographics & Structure

  • No. of Employees

    21-50

M&E

  • Internal, External Assessors

    No

Policies

  • Ethics and Transparency Policies

    No

  • Formal CEO Oversight & Compensation Policy

    No

Political & Religious Declarations

  • On Affiliation if any

    No

  • On Deployment Bias if any

    No

Registration Details

  • PAN Card

    AAATC0310K

  • Registration ID

    S11017

  • VO ID / Darpan ID

    DL/2017/0165405

  • 12A

    AAATC0310KE19808

  • 80G

    AAATC0310KF20218

  • FCRA

    231650659

  • CSR Registration Number

    Not Available

Location

  • Headquarters

    5, Institutional Area, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, 110070

    Directions
  • Offices in Cities

Other Details

  • Type & Sub Type

    Non-profit
    Society