Supreme Court Dismisses Review Petition Against Its Verdict Striking Down Electoral Bonds Scheme

Recently, the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court (SC) of India dismissed the review petition filed by Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara challenging its February 15 judgment that struck down the electoral bonds scheme. While rejecting the review petition, the Constitution bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Manoj Misra, and Justice JB Pardiwala said that ‘there is no error apparent on the face of the ground’. The review petitioners in their plea submitted, “This Hon’ble Court entertained the petition and struck down the law and the scheme without noticing that in doing so it is acting as an appellate authority over the Parliament, substituting its wisdom on a matter which falls in the exclusive province of legislative and executive policy…” It added, “It was not a measure which would have totally eradicated the role of black money in politics but it hoped to bring some element of transparency by permitting contributions to be made to the political parties by allowing confidentiality, which meant that the information as to the doners and donees would remain secret.” Furthermore, the plea said, “The Court failed to notice that even assuming the issue is justiciable, the Petitioners therein having not claimed any specific legal injury exclusive to them, their petition could not have been decided as if a private litigation for the enforcement of rights which are specific and exclusive to them.” After hearing the matter, the SC bench ordered, “Application for listing the review petitions in open Court is dismissed. Delay condoned. 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.”