NGOs seek listing of PIL in SC for SIT probe into electoral bonds scheme

Two NGOs on Tuesday, 14 May, urged the Supreme Court to consider listing their PIL seeking a court-monitored probe by SIT (special investigation team) into alleged instances of "apparent quid pro quo" involving political parties, corporate entities and officials of investigative agencies in the electoral bonds scheme.

A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGOs ‘Common Cause’ and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), that the plea needed to be listed for hearing at the earliest.

“The CJI’s office is seized of it. It will be listed,” justice Khanna told Bhushan.

A five-judge Constitution bench had on 15 February scrapped the electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding introduced by the BJP government.

Terming it a "scam", the plea filed by the NGOs has sought direction to the authorities to investigate the source of funding of "shell companies and loss-making companies” which made donations to various political parties, as has been disclosed by the data released by the EC.

The petition has also sought a direction from the authorities to recover the money donated by companies as part of "quid pro quo arrangements where these are found to be proceeds of crime".