Dr. Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi
Dr. S.Y. Quraishi
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, author, scholar, and institution builder.
A public life spanning electoral reform, democratic capacity building, public health, youth development, education, sport governance, and civil society institutions.
Dr. Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi
Dr. S.Y. Quraishi
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, author, scholar, and institution builder.
A public life spanning electoral reform, democratic capacity building, public health, youth development, education, sport governance, and civil society institutions.
17th CEC
1971 IAS
Author
Institution builder
About
From Old Delhi to national public office.
A career shaped by administration, institution building, democratic practice and public communication.
Born in the historic lanes of Old Delhi in 1947, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi belongs to a family of scholars and writers with a lineage spanning thirty-four generations.
He was the first from his family to enter the civil services, joining the Indian Administrative Service in 1971. Over a career spanning four decades, he served in positions ranging from district administration to heading national institutions, eventually becoming the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India.
His education moved through three Delhi institutions: schooling at Anglo-Arabic Senior Secondary School, college at St. Stephen’s College, and doctoral work in Communications and Social Marketing at Jamia Millia Islamia. His work has spanned electoral reform, public health, youth development, social policy, sport governance and democratic education.
Current
Chancellor Emeritus
IILM University, Gurugram
Service
Indian Administrative Service 1971 Batch, Haryana Cadre
Education
Anglo-Arabic School
St. Stephen's College
Jamia Millia Islamia
Schooling
Anglo-Arabic Senior Secondary School
Est. 1696
College
St. Stephen's College
Est. 1881
Doctoral Work
Jamia Millia Islamia
Est. 1920
Career
Four decades across institutions that shape public life.
Each posting left behind a structure that is still standing.
2010 — 2012
Chief Election Commissioner of India
Led India’s democratic “participation revolution” as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner, introducing landmark reforms including the Voter Education Division, the Expenditure Monitoring Division, and the National Voters’ Day initiative
2011
Founder, IIIDEM
Established the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management under the Election Commission of India, later becoming an international capacity-building hub for election management.
2006 — 2010
Election Commissioner
Oversaw multiple state assembly elections and the 2009 General Elections, contributing to institutional frameworks for election administration.
2005 — 2006
Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports
Shaped national policy on youth development and sports infrastructure.
2000 — 2003
Director General, National AIDS Control Organization
Pioneered “Universities Talk AIDS”, a campaign across 159 universities that became recognized globally as one of the ten best practices in AIDS awareness.
2002 — 2003
Director General, Doordarshan
Led India’s national public broadcaster during a transformative period in Indian media.
1993 — 1997
Founder Director, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development
Established and led the institution that would shape youth policy research and training in India.
1971
Joined the Indian Administrative Service
A pioneering IAS officer from Old Delhi after Independence, beginning a public career that would span district, state, national and international institutions.
Beyond Office
Beyond office: governance, civil society and public institutions.
Advisory, academic and observer roles held since leaving the public office.
Democracy & elections
International IDEA
Appointed Global Ambassador of Democracy, serving alongside Mr. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General.
Football governance
AIFF constitution
Served in the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators process connected with the draft constitution and governance transition of Indian football.
Sport administration
Archery Association of India
Associated with court-directed governance and election processes concerning the national archery body.
Sport administration
Hockey India
Part of the administrative process connected with governance reforms and fresh elections for Hockey India.
Sport governance
Equestrian Federation of India
Associated with court-observed governance review and recommendations concerning federation functioning.
Civil society
Sightsavers India
Former Honorary Chair of Sightsavers India, an organisation focused on avoidable blindness, disability rights and inclusive development.
Child rights
Save the Children
Associated with Bal Raksha Bharat / Save the Children through governance and advisory leadership.
Education & political data
Ashoka University
Associated with the Trivedi Centre for Political Data at Ashoka University, connecting democratic practice with data-led political research and public knowledge.
Books
Writing on elections, society and the idea of India.
Books across three decades, from a coffee-table record of Old Delhi to a working account of how India run its democracy
2025
Democracy's Heartland
Inside The Battle For Power in South Asia
A comparative tour of South Asia’s democracies and the battle for power across the region.
Juggernaut Books
2023
India's Experiment with Democracy
The Life of a Nation Through Its Elections
An examination of nationhood, citizenship, democracy and the lived experience of elections.
HarperCollins India
2021
The Population Myth
Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India
A data-led examination of demographic misconceptions and public discourse around population.
HarperCollins India
2019
The Great March of Democracy
Seven Decades of India's Elections
An edited volume tracing India’s electoral history through scholarship and practice.
HarperCollins India
2014
An Undocumented Wonder
The Making of the Great Indian Election
An insider’s account of the scale, logistics and human stories behind Indian elections.
Rupa Publications
2010
Old Delhi
Living Traditions
A coffee-table documentation of the heritage, culture and living traditions of the walled city.
Shubhi Publications
2010
Hali: Kavi, Ek Roop Anek
Vani Prakashan
An insightful tribute to the life, literary legacy, and enduring influence of Altaf Hussain Hali through essays, rare visuals, and archival material.
Vani Prakashan
1985
Haryana Rediscovered
A Bibliographical Area Study
A richly illustrated exploration of Haryana’s history, cultural heritage, archaeological treasures, and literary traditions across the centuries.
South Asia Books
2025
Democracy's Heartland
Inside The Battle For Power in South Asia
A comparative tour of South Asia’s democracies and the battle for power across the region.
Juggernaut Books
2023
India's Experiment with Democracy
The Life of a Nation Through Its Elections
An examination of nationhood, citizenship, democracy and the lived experience of elections.
HarperCollins India
2021
The Population Myth
Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India
A data-led examination of demographic misconceptions and public discourse around population.
HarperCollins India
2019
The Great March of Democracy
Seven Decades of India's Elections
An edited volume tracing India’s electoral history through scholarship and practice.
HarperCollins India
2014
An Undocumented Wonder
The Making of the Great Indian Election
An insider’s account of the scale, logistics and human stories behind Indian elections.
Rupa Publications
2010
Old Delhi
Living Traditions
A coffee-table documentation of the heritage, culture and living traditions of the walled city.
Shubhi Publications
2010
Hali: Kavi, Ek Roop Anek
Vani Prakashan
An insightful tribute to the life, literary legacy, and enduring influence of Altaf Hussain Hali through essays, rare visuals, and archival material.
Vani Prakashan
1985
Haryana Rediscovered
A Bibliographical Area Study
A richly illustrated exploration of Haryana’s history, cultural heritage, archaeological treasures, and literary traditions across the centuries.
South Asia Books
Upcoming book
India and I
A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir
Not a conventional memoir but a hundred episodes: encounters, arguments and reversals drawn from a life spent inside the institutions of the Indian state.
