English Article

Electoral Bonds

SC to soon take up case against poll bonds scheme.

Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Tuesday told advocate Prashant Bhushan that the court had wanted to take up a long-pending challenge against the government’s electoral bonds scheme, but the COVID-19 pandemic played spoilsport in the matter. Mr. Bhushan, who represents the petitioner Association for Democratic Reforms, informed the CJI that the case had been pending for a year without a hearing.

Unlimited donations

The electoral bonds scheme and amendments in the Finance Act of 2017 allows for “unlimited donations from individuals and foreign companies to political parties without any record of the sources of funding”. The exchange between the Chief Justice of India and the lawyer happened when the latter made an oral mentioning for early listing of the case for hearing. “Let us see, we will take up the matter,” the Chief Justice said. Mr. Bhushan had similarly sought an urgent hearing last October.