Following the Supreme Court's Thursday decision to invalidate the electoral bonds scheme, deeming it "unconstitutional," opposition leaders have expressed their approval of the top court's ruling.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, expressed hope that the government would refrain from implementing "such mischievous ideas" in the future. He reiterated the Congress party's previous criticism of the scheme, branding it "opaque and undemocratic" upon its inception.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also lauded the court's verdict, emphasizing its significance in enhancing transparency in election funding.
Senior Congress figure P Chidambaram asserted that the court's decision prioritized "the people's right to know" over legal tactics employed to defend the flawed electoral bonds scheme. He further contended that the scheme contravened fundamental principles of equality, fairness, reasonableness, and democracy.
The faction led by Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) echoed the sentiment, welcoming the Supreme Court's ruling and advocating for transparency and accountability in all political donations.
According to NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto, the electoral bonds scheme was implemented to favor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by enabling donations from undisclosed sources, with the BJP purportedly being its sole beneficiary since its inception, as reported by PTI.
Another Congress leader, Pawan Khera, asserted, "Today, the Prime Minister's corruption has been laid bare." He expressed gratitude to all stakeholders, including the Supreme Court, involved in the case.
In a landmark decision, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court nullified the electoral bonds scheme, citing violations of constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression, as well as the right to information.
