Congressman Jaya Thakur, a dentist, is one of the petitioners in the electoral bonds issue. He wears a lot of headwear. The general secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Mahila Congress maintains bringing Public Interest Litigations (PILs) in the Supreme Court regarding matters ranging from claims against the Adani Group to the availability of sanitary pads for school pupils, even if she frequently publishes dental care videos on her YouTube channel.
Thakur, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), and the CPI(M) were co-petitioners in the appeal that sought the annulment of the electoral bonds program. The plan was abandoned on Thursday by the Supreme Court’s five-judge Constitution Bench.
Following her victory, Thakur told The Indian Express that the plan was “detrimental to democracy” and that is why she chose to participate. “The electoral bonds program lacked transparency. It might have a direct bearing on choices made by the administration, she said.
Having graduated from Bhopal Dental College, Thakur turned to politics following her marriage to Supreme Court lawyer Varun Thakur, who practises in Damoh. “I was employed in the education of girls.” My buddies advised me to enter politics in order to actually effect change. She claims that politics was a better arena for assisting people.
Nonetheless, Thakur has had a greater influence in the legal system than in politics thanks to his numerous appeals in a variety of instances.
She filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra, arguing that multiple tenure extensions undermine the nation’s democratic procedures. She petitioned the Supreme Court for a review in the same year, challenging its ruling that had upheld the Center’s decision to grant 10% reservation to economically disadvantaged sections (EWS).
Thakur urged the Supreme Court to launch an investigation into the Adani Group and its affiliates after the publication of the Hindenburg Research study on the group in 2023. He said the group had defrauded investors and the government of lakhs of rupees.
She also filed a PIL with the Supreme Court, requesting that all states and Union Territories guarantee that every female student enrolled in classes 6 through 12 has access to free sanitary pads, and that all government-aided and residential schools provide separate restrooms for women. The Supreme Court granted her appeal in 2023 and ordered states to make sure that “low-cost sanitary pads are available for purchase in all schools through vending machines.”
Later, she filed a plea with the Supreme Court, requesting instructions to ensure its prompt implementation, shortly after the Center passed the law giving women a 33% reservation in Parliament and state assemblies.
She has even sued party officials. In 2019, for example, she accused former Congress leader Govind Singh Rajput of engaging in illicit mining while holding a ministerial position under then-Chief Minister Kamal Nath.
“I do this to ensure there is justice,” Thakur stated in reference to her flurry of PILs. A lot of political parties don’t adopt a position. They are occasionally prohibited from taking a position. Additionally, the truth stays hidden.
When Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, the chief priest of Bageshwar Dham and a regular proponent of a Hindu Rashtra, was being courted by both the Congress and the BJP, Thakur took on the controversial religious figure, accusing him of using extra parliamentary language to characterise and propagate superstition and calling for an investigation into the matter.
Speaking about one of her pet concerns, the state of women in Madhya Pradesh, Thakur criticises the BJP government’s flagship Ladli Behna Yojana, which distributes monthly handouts and is believed to have been a major factor in the party’s victory in the most recent Assembly elections. Instead, she says the state should concentrate on equality rather than charity.
“I don’t believe that philanthropy can actually effect change, nor that these projects have brought about any genuine change. Females desire their rights, not alms. They do not feel empowered by you. They are not being hired or admitted to colleges. In MP, there is no such thing as equal rights,” she claims.
