Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Modi's Electoral Bonds Scheme

The Supreme Court dismissed review pleas against its earlier verdict that scrapped the electoral bonds scheme, which allowed anonymous political funding. The court upheld its view that the 2018 scheme violated constitutional rights and ordered the State Bank of India to disclose bond details to the Election Commission.

The Supreme Court has reaffirmed its decision to scrap the Modi government's electoral bonds scheme, a controversial method permitting anonymous political donations. On February 15, the court had invalidated the scheme, citing constitutional violations. The latest ruling rejects appeals for a review.

A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, alongside Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, found no errors warranting a review. Advocates for the scheme had argued that it belonged within legislative and executive domains, not judicial.

The court criticized the scheme for infringing on the freedom of speech and information rights and highlighted potential coercion by ruling parties. Despite the government's confidentiality arguments, the top court deemed these protections flawed and instructed the State Bank of India to report electoral bond data to the Election Commission.

(With inputs from agencies.)