Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Tuesday 22 November 2022

Electoral Bonds Fully Transparent ? Not to Public

 


 

Context :

Electoral bonds fully transparent: Centre  /  HT  / 15 Oct 2022


Extract :

The Union government on Friday termed electoral bonds (EBs) an “absolutely transparent” method of political funding, even as the Supreme Court fixed a clutch of challenges to the Centre’s scheme for a detailed hearing on December 6.

 

As soon as the case commenced, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), pressed for an extensive hearing to scrutinise how EBs are polluting the electoral system in the country, besides an amendment in the law that even allows subsidiaries of foreign companies to provide funds to political parties.

 

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing another petitioner, called EBs “the most opaque system of funding”, adding a constitution bench is ideally suited to hear this case in the wake of the impact of EBs on the constitutional mandate of free and fair elections.

 

At this point, solicitor general (SG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, intervened to rebut Sibal’s arguments. “Let me tell my lords that the methodology of receiving money is so transparent that it is impossible to get any money in black or unaccounted money. Everything is transparent, nothing is in black now.”

 

The bench asked the SG if the system provides for where the money is coming from.

 

“Absolutely my lords... The system is absolutely and completely transparent,” replied Mehta, adding that there is a complete chain of how money is transferred from one account to another using the draft facility.

 

Mehta reiterated that the EB is a transparent system but the government is willing to consider if there are any suggestions from the top court regarding any “loophole”.

 

The ADR claimed that EBs are an anonymous route of funding that amounted to legitimising bribery, as corporate donors could fund the party in power in a state or the Centre as a matter of quid pro quo.

 

These donations enjoy 100% tax exemption and even foreign companies can donate through Indian subsidiaries, the petitioners added.

 

“The electoral bonds scheme has opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate donations to political parties and anonymous financing by Indian as well as foreign companies, which can have serious repercussions on Indian democracy,” the ADR claimed.

 

It pointed out that the Finance Act of 2017 exempts contributions by way of electoral bonds to be disclosed even to the Election Commission under Section 29C of the Representation of Peoples Act.

 

 

 

 

MY  TAKE  :

 

Dear Supreme Court,

 

In this connection, I have sent to you – and to all Political Parties – my following suggestion :

Ø  Transparency in Political Funding ? ………………………..[ 06 July 2017 ]

 

Thereafter I followed up with my following e-mails :

           Make Me A Party…………………………….. [ 03 Oct 2017 ]

Ø  Electoral Bonds for Transparency ?.. [ 03 Jan 2018 ]

Ø  Don’t Disclose Donations …………………[ 04 Jan 2018 ]

Ø  Of Electoral Bondage ?................... [ 30 Mar 2019 ]

Ø  Please Hear and Read too……………….. [ 19 Mar 2021 ]

Ø  Thank You for “ Reading “/“ Asking “ [ 24 Mar 2021 ]

      Ø  But what is info in “sealed cover“?.....[ 05 July 2021 ]

 

I urge you to forward my suggestion of 06 July 2017 , to the Petitioners and the

Central Government, and tell them to submit on 06 Dec 2022 ( next date for

hearing ), their OBJECTIONS if any, to my suggestion


 

You may also ask them to submit in writing, MODIFICATIONS if any, to my

suggestion


This REFORM for funding of Political Parties has assumed TOP PRIORITY

considering that :

 

Ø  General Elections are due in another 14 months ( Feb 2024 ? )

 

Ø  In addition, during 2024 itself, following 7 States have their MLA elections :

Andhra Pradesh

Sikkim

Arunachal Pradesh

Odisha

Haryana

Maharashtra

Jharkhand

 

Ø  Following 9 States have their Legislative Elections due in 2023 :

1.     Meghalaya

2.     Nagaland

3.     Tripura

4.     Karnataka

5.     Chhattisgarh

6.     Madhya Pradesh

7.     Mizoram

8.     Rajasthan

9.     Rajasthan

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  23  Nov  2022

 

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