Important cases heard by the Supreme Court on Thursday, February 15:
* In a landmark verdict delivered within spitting distance of the Lok Sabha polls, the SC scrapped the Modi government’s electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding, terming it “unconstitutional” and ordering disclosure of the names of the purchasers, value of the bonds and their recipients.
* Democracy does not begin and end with elections and the integrity of election process is pivotal for sustaining the democratic form of government, the SC said while striking down as unconstitutional the electoral bonds scheme for political funding.
* Holding that the electoral bonds scheme was not fool-proof, the SC said information about funds received by a political party is essential for voters to exercise their freedom to vote effectively.
* It is crucial to electoral democracy that the exercise of freedom to vote is not subject to undue influence, the SC said while striking down as unconstitutional the electoral bonds scheme for political funding.
* In a sudden turn of events, individuals and groups who had challenged the constitutional validity of the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the SC withdrew their pleas, saying they have decided to move appropriate forums.
