In the heart of New Delhi, a quintet of judicial luminaries, constituting a bench of constitutional significance, delivered a momentous verdict on Thursday. They unequivocally invalidated the electoral bonds scheme, asserting that divulging information regarding financial backing bestowed upon political entities is imperative for electoral decision-making. The clandestine nature of electoral bonds, they contended, contravenes the sacrosanct right to Information and the tenets outlined in Section 19(1)(a).

Under the aegis of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, the five-judge panel expounded that the electoral bond framework transgresses the sanctity enshrined in Article 19(1)(a). They underscored the indispensable nature of access to details about the funding apparatus of political factions for the judicious and efficacious exercise of the voting prerogative.

The apex judicature asserted that surreptitious financial contributions from corporate entities to political organizations via electoral bonds infringe upon the voters’ right to information. Despite this censure, the apex court nuanced its stance, justifying the anonymity surrounding such contributions. It posited that this cloak of secrecy safeguards the contributors’ right to privacy pertaining to their political affiliations.