Nations grappling with use of black money in polls, electoral bonds scheme aimed at eradicating it: Centre to SC

STATE TIMES NEWS

New Delhi: The Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that almost every country, including India, was grappling with the problem of use of black money in elections and the electoral bonds scheme was a “conscious attempt” to eradicate the menace of “unclean money” in the poll process.
Arguing before a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said the apex court may not take this particular scheme as a standalone attempt in the direction of dealing with the menace of black money.
Mehta highlighted steps taken by the government to deal with black money including digitised payments and action taken against 2.38 lakh “shell companies” between 2018 and 2021.
“The use of black money in elections and politics in general and elections in particular…every country is grappling with this problem. Country-specific issues are being dealt with by every country depending upon the circumstances existing. India is also grappling with this problem,” he told the bench, which also comprised Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. “Having tried several attempts, several mechanism and modes, the menace of black money was not being dealt with as effectively because of the systemic failures and therefore, the present scheme is a conscious and deliberate attempt to ensure clean money coming into the banking system and election ,” he said.
The bench is hearing arguments on a batch of petitions challenging the validity of the electoral bonds scheme for funding political parties. “The use of unaccounted cash (black money) in driving the electoral process of the country remains a matter of serious concern for the nation,” he said in his written submissions filed in the court.