Archive · 24 Nov 2025
SC Seeks Response on Plea Against Anonymous Political Donations
The Supreme Court has asked the government and other groups to respond to a complaint.
The complaint says political parties should not be allowed to receive small amounts of cash without saying who gave it.
The court wants to make sure that political parties are open about where their money comes from.
The person who made the complaint thinks this will help people vote in a more informed way.
The court will hear more about this in a few weeks.
The complaint also mentions that with so many people using digital payments now, there is no good reason to allow small cash donations without any details.
The Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre, Election Commission, and political parties on a plea challenging the validity of a provision allowing anonymous cash donations below Rs 2,000 to political parties.
The plea argues that this lack of transparency undermines the purity of the election process by depriving voters of crucial information about the source of political funding.
The court bench, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, agreed to hear the plea and issued notices to the relevant parties, including the BJP and Congress.
The petitioner, Khem Singh Bhati, seeks directions for political parties to disclose the names and details of all donors and to maintain transparent accounts audited by independent auditors.
The plea also refers to the Supreme Court's 2024 judgment that scrapped the electoral bonds scheme, emphasizing the need for transparency in political funding.
- Who
- Supreme Court of India, Centre, Election Commission, Political Parties (BJP, Congress, others), Petitioner Khem Singh Bhati
- What
- Plea challenging the validity of a provision allowing anonymous cash donations below Rs 2,000 to political parties
- When
- The plea was filed recently, with the next hearing scheduled after four weeks
- Where
- Supreme Court of India, New Delhi
- Why
- To ensure transparency in political funding and prevent the influence of undisclosed money in elections
- Petitioner
- Khem Singh Bhati
- Challenged Provision
- Clause (d) of Section 13A of the Income Tax Act, 1961
- Court Bench
- Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta
- Next Hearing
- After four weeks
- Key Issue
- Anonymous cash donations below Rs 2,000 to political parties
- Related Judgment
- Apex court's 2024 judgment scrapping the electoral bonds scheme
- Key Statute
- Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951
- Key Form
- Form 24A contribution reports
