The issue of Electoral Bonds should be halted forthwith, ordered the Supreme Court of India today while striking down the Central government's Electoral Bonds scheme as unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the electoral bonds scheme introduced by the Indian government in 2018 to permit anonymous political donations.
The judgment on the validity of the electoral bonds scheme was reserved by a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court after a three-day hearing, which started on October 31.
The move has raised eyebrows as it comes days before assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, while the Supreme Court is also set to hear pleas challenging the opaque political donation scheme next month.
The development has come in the backdrop of the poll panel recently delisting 284 defaulting and non-compliant registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs), declaring more than 253 of them inactive.