The Supreme Court of India (SC). (File Photo: IANS)
New Delhi, October 28 (MExN): A 5-Judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, will start hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Electoral Bonds scheme from October 31. The causelist published on the Supreme Court website informed that the other members of the bench are Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra.
Earlier on October 16, a 3-judge bench comprising CJI Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Mishra had referred the matter to a 5-judge bench "in view of the importance of the issue raised" with regard to Article 145(4) of the Indian Constitution.
The petitions challenging the Electoral Bonds Schemes were filed in 2017, introduced by the Centre through the amendments made to the Finance Act of 2017, as per the IANS news agency.
Several petitions are pending before the apex court challenging amendments through the Finance Act, 2017, alleging that they have opened doors to unchecked funding for political parties.
An electoral bond can be purchased by any individual, company, firm, or association of persons, provided the person or body is an Indian citizen or is incorporated or established in India. These bonds are issued specifically for the purpose of contributing funds to political parties.
