Supreme Court Rejects Pleas for Electoral Bonds Investigation

The Supreme Court has dismissed petitions requesting a court-monitored probe into the electoral bonds scheme. The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, stated any intervention would be premature. The court emphasized that criminal wrongdoing cases should not be addressed under Article 32 of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected multiple pleas seeking a court-monitored investigation into the controversial electoral bonds scheme.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala declared that intervening at this stage under Article 32 of the Constitution would be inappropriate and premature.

The court highlighted that it cannot mandate a speculative inquiry into the purchase of electoral bonds based solely on the assumption that it constituted quid pro quo for awarding contracts.

The court explained that while it entertained petitions challenging the electoral bonds due to the judicial review aspect, cases involving criminal misconduct should not be addressed under Article 32 when legal remedies are available.

The Supreme Court was addressing petitions from NGOs like Common Cause and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which allege a quid pro quo arrangement involving political parties, corporations, and investigative agencies under the electoral bonds scheme.