SC decision declaring electoral bonds unconstitutional is ‘historic’: Ashok Gehlot

Jaipur, Feb 15 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said that electoral bonds are a big scandal in the nation and the Supreme Court’s decision declaring electoral bonds unconstitutional is “historic and a welcome step”.

The senior Congress leader’s reaction came after the Supreme Court in a landmark judgement annulled the electoral bonds scheme ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Gehlot said that transparency of political donations has ended due to electoral bond and directly benefiting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

“The Supreme Court’s decision declaring electoral bonds unconstitutional is historic and a welcome step. Electoral bonds worked to increase corruption. This ended the transparency of political donations and directly benefited the ruling BJP,” Gehlot told reporters here.

“I have repeatedly said that electoral bonds are one of the biggest scams of independent India. Today the Supreme Court’s decision has proved that electoral bonds are a big scam of the NDA government,” he added.

Gehlot said the decision came late but it is a very important decision to save the Indian democracy.

The apex court said the government’s electoral bond scheme violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to information.

A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice India DY Chandrachud also ordered the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose to the Election Commission the names of the contributors to the six-year-old scheme.