Supreme Court of India · 2024-02-15
ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATICS REFORMS vs UNION OF INDIA
- Citation / case number
- SC 2017/27935
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Petitioner
- ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATICS REFORMS
- Respondent
- UNION OF INDIA
- Author
- THE CHIEF , SANJIV KHANNA, B.R. GAVAIB. PARDIWALA, MANOJ MISRA
- Bench
- HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE, HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SANJIV KHANNA, HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE B.R. GAVAI, HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE J.B. PARDIWALA, HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MANOJ MISRA
Judgment text excerpt
The Supreme Court examined the validity of the Electoral Bond Scheme under Section 11 of the Finance Act and Section 137 of the Finance Act, determining that the scheme infringes upon the right to information of voters as protected under Article 19(1)(a). The Court established that transparency in political funding is essential for the effective exercise of voting rights, and the non-disclosure of donor information is not justified. The judgment emphasized the need for balancing the right to information with the right to privacy, ultimately holding that the scheme is unconstitutional due to its arbitrary nature and lack of transparency.