“In the larger interest”

In the item "In the larger interest” (Events and Personalities, Parsiana, November 21-December 6, 2021) it is stated: "… and the present trustees [of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP)] can stand for elections, if they so wish.”
This is completely ridiculous and totally absurd! Since these trustees have voluntarily chosen to resign before their term is over, under no circumstances should they be allowed to stand for elections and get reelected. If they were to get reelected, the same mara-mari (fighting) would continue for many more years!
Since the BPP trustees wish to change the existing election scheme, here are my suggestions.
The voters list must be updated. Only Parsis who are permanently residing in Bombay should be allowed to become registered voters. Parsis living in Poona, Gujarat, the Middle East, USA, etc cannot be allowed to become registered voters. Every person wanting to register as a voter must give an affidavit (swear on oath) that he was born of Parsi Zoroastrian parents, had his/her navjote done between the ages of seven to 11, and continues to practice the Zarathushti religion to date. The person should also swear that he/she has never in the past practiced any other religion.

Bombay Parsi Punchayet polling booth. Photo for representational purpose only

All voters must be given biometric identity cards. For that they will have to go to the BPP office at 209, D. N. Road in Bombay to hand over their application form in person and have their photos and fingerprints taken by BPP employees designated to do such work. This is to prevent bogus voters and also to ensure that the dead do not continue to remain on the voters list.
The term of a BPP trustee should be for only one year. No second term should be permitted.
All candidates must have completed 60 years of age but be under 70 years.
All candidates must be at least post-graduates, double graduates or professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, architects, senior executives, etc. No Parsi with a criminal record or against whom criminal cases are pending should be allowed to stand for election.
No close relatives (spouse, parent, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, grandparent, grandchild, in-laws and their close relatives, siblings, nephews and nieces) of a dead, retired, resigned or recalled trustee should be allowed to stand for election unless 50 years have passed since the trustee had left his position. This will prevent family and dynastic succession. In the coming elections, two or more close relatives of one family cannot be allowed to stand together. The reason is simple: if many close members of a family stand, then 20 close relatives will stand simultaneously, hoping that, just by chance, four or more of them might get elected. Another point is that all candidates should stand independently. They should not be allowed to stand as a group of four or more and ask the voters to vote only for those candidates as a group.
Every candidate will have to be nominated by 50 registered voters and seconded by 50 other registered voters. This will prevent candidates who have no popular support standing for election.
Every candidate will have to give a deposit of Rs 10 lakhs (USD 13,325) by demand draft only while submitting his application form. If the candidate does not get at least 30% of the valid votes cast, he will forfeit the amount to the BPP. Even if a candidate wins a seat but does not get 30% of the valid votes cast, he or she will lose the deposit. This will prevent dummy candidates from standing for election. The money thus forfeited will finance the elections.
All candidates must reveal their present net worth and all their assets in India and in other countries, and whether they are beneficiaries of any private or discretionary trust which may be registered in any country. They must also reveal their total income (taxable, non-taxable, capital gains, gifts received, inheritance received, etc) for the current and previous five years. The same information must be revealed for their spouse, children, parents, grandparents and in-laws.
No person who is or has been a beneficiary of the BPP in the past by way of receiving educational, medical or financial help can be allowed to stand for election. Persons residing in or having in the past resided in buildings or baugs (including the Wadia baugs) as legal or illegal occupants, or close relative of such persons, should not be allowed to stand for election. A person who owns, or resides with the owner of an ownership flat in a BPP colony (including Wadia baugs), should not be allowed to stand for elections. A person who is a tenant of a shop or office in a building owned by the BPP should similarly be disallowed.
There must be a system for the recall of a sitting trustee. If 50 registered voters write a letter to the BPP trustees asking for the removal of an undesirable trustee, the BPP trustees must compulsorily hold a referendum on this request. If a majority of registered voters vote against the sitting trustee in the referendum, that trustee must be removed from office.
There must be a mandatory code of conduct, and not a voluntary one, for all candidates.
Most important: No former BPP trustee can stand for re-election after a gap of many years.

JAL S. DESAI