The Supreme Court of India has received a plea seeking a court-monitored investigation into alleged instances of "quid pro quo" between political parties, corporations, and officials of investigating agencies in donations via electoral bonds.
The plea was filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan following the Supreme Court's decision to scrap the Centre's electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding in February 2023.
The plea seeks a direction to the authorities to investigate the source of funding of "shell companies and loss-making companies to various political parties, as has been disclosed through the electoral bonds data."
It also seeks a direction to the authorities to recover the amounts from political parties as donated by companies to them as part of "quid pro quo arrangements where these are found to be proceeds of crime."
The plea alleges that the electoral bonds scheme was used by political parties to receive anonymous donations from corporations and individuals in exchange for favors. It also alleges that the scheme was used to launder black money.
The Supreme Court is yet to decide on the plea.