Supreme Court Declines SIT Probe into Electoral Bonds Donations
The Supreme Court of India has declined a batch of petitions seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged quid pro quo arrangements between corporates and political parties through Electoral Bonds donations. A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stated that normal legal remedies should be pursued first.
The court emphasized that it would be premature and inappropriate to order an SIT probe without first exhausting the remedies available under the law governing criminal procedure. The bench also rejected demands to recover donations received by political parties through Electoral Bonds and to re-open their income tax assessments.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing one of the petitioners, argued that there was a ‘quid pro quo’ between many corporates and political parties. However, the bench questioned why normal legal processes like lodging an FIR or filing a private complaint were not invoked.
The petitions, filed by NGOs Common Cause and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), sought an investigation into the funding sources of shell companies and loss-making companies to various political parties. They alleged a scam worth crores of rupees, which they claimed could only be unraveled through an independent investigation supervised by a retired Supreme Court judge.
The Supreme Court had previously struck down the Electoral Bonds Scheme in February, which allowed for anonymous funding to political parties, and ordered the State Bank of India to stop issuing Electoral Bonds immediately.
Doubts Revealed
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes important decisions about laws and justice.
SIT -: SIT stands for Special Investigation Team. It’s a group of experts who investigate serious crimes.
Electoral Bonds -: Electoral Bonds are a way for people and companies to donate money to political parties in India.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud -: DY Chandrachud is the Chief Justice of India, which means he is the head judge of the Supreme Court.
quid pro quo -: Quid pro quo means ‘something for something.’ It refers to an exchange where one thing is given in return for another.
NGOs -: NGOs are Non-Governmental Organizations. They work to help people and solve problems without being part of the government.
Common Cause -: Common Cause is an NGO in India that works to make sure the government is fair and honest.
CPIL -: CPIL stands for Centre for Public Interest Litigation. It’s an NGO that files cases in court to protect public interest.
crores of rupees -: A crore is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to ten million. So, crores of rupees means a lot of money.
