SC judgement reinforces power of votes over money: Congress on electoral bond scheme decision

PTI, Feb 15, 2024, 12:08 PM IST

The Congress on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict striking down the electoral bond scheme, and said it will reinforce the power of votes over notes.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “The Supreme Court has held the much-touted Electoral Bonds scheme of the Modi Sarkar as violative of both laws passed by Parliament as well as the Constitution of India.” The long-awaited verdict is hugely welcome and will reinforce the power of votes over notes, he said.

“The Modi Sarkar has been inflicting ANYAY upon ANYAY on the Annadatas while privileging the Chandadatas,” Ramesh said.

“We also hope that the Supreme Court will take note that Election Commission has been consistently refusing to even meet political parties on the issue of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). If everything is transparent in the voting process then why this obstinacy?” he said.

The Supreme Court struck down the electoral bond scheme, saying it violates the right to information and the freedom of speech and expression under the Constitution.