SC to hear plea seeking SIT probe in electoral bonds case on July 22

A five-judge Constitution bench had on February 15 scrapped the electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding.

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear the plea seeking Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into instance of quid pro quo in electoral bonds on July 22

On July 12, the top court had agreed to consider listing a public interest litigation that urged a court-monitored investigation into the electoral bonds scheme.

The PIL, filed by NGOs Common Cause and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), alleges an "apparent quid pro quo" between political parties, corporations, and investigative agencies.

Terming it as a "scam", the plea sought a direction to the authorities to investigate the source of funding of "shell companies and loss-making companies which made donations to various political parties, as has been disclosed by the data released by the Election Commission (EC).

The petition has also sought a direction to the authorities to recover the money donated by companies as part of "quid pro quo arrangements where these are found to be proceeds of crime".

A five-judge Constitution bench had on February 15 scrapped the electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding introduced by the BJP government.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGOs, that despite his several visits to the apex court registry in the last few months, the pleas are yet to be listed.

The petition has also sought a direction to the authorities to recover the money donated by companies as part of "quid pro quo arrangements where these are found to be proceeds of crime".

A five-judge Constitution bench had on February 15 scrapped the electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding introduced by the BJP government.

Following the top court's judgement, the State Bank of India, the authorised financial institution under the scheme, had shared the data with the EC, which later made it public.

The electoral bonds scheme, which was notified by the government on January 2, 2018, was pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of its efforts to bring in transparency in political funding.

(With inputs from PTI)