Electoral bond row: Govts should address the political donation issue by including all stakeholders, says expert

Amid the ongoing discourse on political donations and electoral transparency, Sanjay Hegde, a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court, emphasised the necessity for governmental action on the issue. Hegde stressed that any resolution must involve collaboration among all political parties, the Election Commission, and the judiciary. He highlighted the susceptibility of governmental decisions to judicial review, underscoring the significance of a comprehensive approach.

Drawing parallels to historical incidents like the infamous ₹1 crore suitcase allegedly delivered to a former Prime Minister in the 1990s, Hegde remarked on the evolution of corruption tactics, stating, “In the 1990s Harshad Mehta allegedly carried a sum of ₹1 crore in one suitcase and took it over to the then Prime Minister's house. I told the court that now the ease of business is that they do not need a suitcase, they need only an envelope.”

The data compiled by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) sheds light on the magnitude of political funding through electoral bonds. The data revealed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) encashed electoral bonds totalling over ₹6,060 crore, with a significant portion stemming from high-value denominations. The BJP also emerged as the primary beneficiary of the electoral bonds scheme.