In a significant development, the Supreme Court Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice Dr. Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice J.B. Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra has dismissed a set of review petitions challenging its verdict, which had struck down the 2018 Electoral Bonds Scheme as unconstitutional.

The petitions were filed by Matthews J. Nedumpara and another against the Association for Democratic Reforms and others, seeking a review of the apex court’s decision. The proceedings were conducted by circulation and not in open court, as the application for listing the review petitions in open court was dismissed. Upon examining the review petitions, the Court concluded that "there is no error apparent on the face of the record," thereby dismissing the petitions for failing to meet the criteria set out under Order XLVII Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013.

"Having perused the review petitions, there is no error apparent on the face of the record. No case for review under Order XLVII Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules 2013. The review petitions are, therefore, dismissed."

In the original judgement delivered on February 15, 2024, the Constitution Bench had declared that denying voters access to information regarding political party funding would be detrimental to the electoral process. The Court observed that voters have a fundamental right to know the sources of funding of political parties, as this information is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the democratic process.

The judgement directed the State Bank of India to immediately stop the issuance of electoral bonds and ordered the Election Commission of India to publish the details of political parties receiving contributions through electoral bonds from April 2019.

Petitioner Advocate(s): None (Party Appeared in Person)

Case Details: Mathews J. Nedumpara and Another v. Association for Democratic Reforms & Ors, RP(C) Dairy/18045/2024

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