In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India, led by a 5-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, has requested the Election Commission to furnish details regarding donors and their contributions to political parties for the fiscal year 2017-18.
The court made this request on Thursday, urging the election regulatory body to submit the information in a sealed packet within a two-week timeframe. This decision comes in the wake of a petition challenging the validity of the electoral bond scheme, a controversial system allowing for anonymous funding of political parties.
The apex court bench, which also includes Justices Sanjeev Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Mishra, had reserved judgment on the matter.
The legal proceedings in this case commenced on October 31, with the bench hearing four petitions, including those submitted by Congress leader Jaya Thakur, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
This isn't the first time the Supreme Court has taken an interest in the electoral bond scheme. In April 2019, the apex court declined to impose a stay on the scheme, emphasizing that it would undertake a thorough examination of the issue due to the "balanced issues" raised by both the Central Government and the Election Commission.
These issues were deemed to have "extraordinary implications" on the integrity of the electoral process in the country.
The recent request for information on political party donations further underscores the court's commitment to scrutinizing the electoral bond scheme and its potential impact on the transparency and fairness of political funding in India. As the two-week deadline for the submission of data approaches, the nation eagerly awaits the Supreme Court's judgment on this matter, which could have far-reaching implications for the country's political landscape.
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