Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed petitions seeking a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the sale of now-banned electoral bonds amid allegations of quid pro quo arrangements between political parties and corporate donors. The petitions called for the oversight of a retired Supreme Court Justice.
The Supreme Court stated that individual grievances regarding quid pro quo deals must be pursued through existing legal remedies, rather than through immediate court intervention. “It would be premature and inappropriate for this court to interfere without first exhausting the available remedies under the law,” the court said.
The petitions, filed by activist groups Common Cause and Centre for Public Interest, sought directives for law enforcement agencies to investigate political party funding through “shell and loss-making companies,” based on data disclosed by the Election Commission.
Electoral bonds were banned in February. In a landmark ruling just weeks before the Lok Sabha election, the court declared that undisclosed political funding violated voters’ right to transparency.
Controversy and Legal Arguments
The case returned to the Supreme Court with four petitions, including one for a court-monitored SIT probe. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan argued for a special inquiry due to the involvement of governments, the ruling party, and top corporate houses. “This is not limited to one political party,” he said, describing it as one of the worst financial scams in India’s history.
Despite Bhushan’s arguments, the court remained unconvinced. “We ordered disclosure and quashed the scheme. What will an SIT investigate now?” the court questioned, emphasizing the need for concrete evidence before appointing an SIT.
Court’s Decision
The Supreme Court noted that there was no systemic breach of the NEET-UG 2024 papers, with leaks confined to Patna and Hazaribagh. The court suggested that normal legal processes should follow its previous landmark verdict, which ordered the State Bank of India to release data identifying donors and recipient parties.
Background on Electoral Bonds
Introduced by the ruling BJP in January 2018, the electoral bonds scheme was pitched as a transparent alternative to cash donations for political parties. However, the Supreme Court declared the scheme unconstitutional, stressing the importance of transparency in political funding for voters.
While the BJP defended the scheme as a means to eliminate black money in election campaigns, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged its imperfections and expressed hope for future improvements.
