Fear has been the primary reason why citizens hesitate to question authority. Individually, they are often threatened and many choose silence, rightly so. When we started Arappor Iyakkam in 2015, our aim was to break this fear, as we believed it was crucial to building a vibrant civil society where citizens could question elected representatives and public officials without intimidation.
While preparing for the event organised to mark the 10th anniversary of Arappor at Sri Pitti Thyagaraya Hall on Sunday, I asked a volunteer, “What does Arappor mean to you?” Without hesitation, he replied, “Arappor taught me how to question even the most powerful with truth and evidence — and, more importantly, without fear.”
I took the answer as an indication of the impact Arappor has managed to have in its ten years of existence, with thousands of volunteers as the backbone and despite numerous challenges.
In a democracy, questioning takes many forms — raising complaints, filing requests for information under the Right to Information Act, analysing data to bring out evidence of corruption, conducting public hearings, engaging officials, holding peaceful yet assertive protests, and filing public interest litigations in courts.
It is in recognition of this imperative to question those in power and to empower citizens for doing the same that conducting training sessions has been a key focus of Arappor. More than 300 sessions on RTI, grievance redressal and other citizen training programs have been conducted.
Of over 35 corruption-related complaints filed with evidence to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC), eight FIRs have been registered that are currently under investigation.
Our complaints in local bodies such as the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and other departments like the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, and the Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department resulted in saving thousands of crores of public money.
Arappor’s exposé of corruption in milling of roads resulted in the GCC beginning to mill interior roads since 2019 and introduce major reforms in the e-tendering process. More recently, Arappor’s revelations about the practice of ‘ghost faculties’ employed only on paper in many engineering colleges affiliated to Anna University led to changes to the affiliation process. Our work on waterbodies has also helped revive lakes such as Villivakkam and Chitlapakkam, along with several other ponds within GCC limits.
However, there were struggles behind each one of this. In 2018, we faced about 18 defamation cases, filed by contractors and a then minister, which would fall under the globally-recognised category of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP suits) filed against activists and other members of civil society to intimidate and silence them. Today, Arappor has won the legal battle in 17 of them with the last one pending.
A series of FIRs with fabricated allegations were also filed. The questioning of construction of a police station on the Thamaraikeni lake triggered many more cases. Yet, all 13 cases against Arappor have now been quashed.
In all these challenges we faced and overcame, what kept us in good stead is Arappor’s unwavering reliance on concrete evidence, gathered through RTI and research, and our commitment to speak only with data while working strictly within the framework of our Constitution.
Arappor Iyakkam is now spreading its wings across Tamil Nadu with a new campaign, “My Vote is Not for Sale”, to be launched on Sunday with the aim of building conversations within every constituency on the need to reject money for votes.
As we step into our 11th year, we intend to focus on ensuring dignity and justice to the poorest sections of the society, particularly those living in the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board’s settlements in appalling conditions. Truth has been our shield and our strength, and it will remain so in our journey forward. Together, we can make a difference!
‘My Vote is Not for Sale’
Arappor Iyakkam is now spreading its wings across Tamil Nadu with a new campaign, “My Vote is Not for Sale”, set to be launched on Sunday with the aim of building conversations within every constituency regarding the need to reject money for votes
Jayaram Venkatesan is convener of Arappor Iyakkam
[Footnote is a column that discusses issues relating to Tamil Nadu]
Jayaram Venkatesan