NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will pronounce its verdict on a plea to stay the use of electoral bonds on Friday. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Thursday rejected the Centre’s appeal to let them continue till the end of the Lok Sabha elections.
During the hearing, the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) took contrary stands in the Supreme Court over political funding. “It is a fact that black money plays a part in elections. Every illegal method to woo voters is adopted, that is the way of life. Political leaders travelling in helicopters, huge money spent. Where is this money coming from? It is black money,” said Attorney General KK Venugopal.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, one of the petitioners in the case, had also told the bench that the scheme has done nothing to curb black money as donors remain anonymous and claimed that out of the Rs 220 crore worth of electoral bonds purchased so far, Rs 210 crore went to the ruling BJP.