NEW DELHI, Apr 24
NGOs Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) and Common Cause have jointly filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking directions to investigate alleged quid pro quo arrangements between corporations, political parties and government agencies run by these parties over the last six years. The allegations are based on the data released after the apex court struck down the Centre’s electoral bond scheme in February 2024.
To investigate these allegations, CPIL and Common Cause have sought a court-monitored investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and directions to recover the amounts donated to political parties that are a part of the alleged quid pro quo arrangements if these donations are found to be proceeds of crime.
The petition includes a table with 22 instances of companies making donations through electoral bonds, the political party receiving the donation, followed by another column titled “Details” which lists the alleged relief the company received in exchange. These include lucrative government contracts, tax relief, and claims that the donation was made shortly following income tax or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids.
The companies named in the petition include Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd, Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR, Grasim Industries, Vedanta, IFB Agro Limited and Bharti Airtel Limited, among multiple others.
CPIL and Common Cause also submitted that large donations were made by loss-making and shell companies with unknown sources of funds “suggesting laundered money finding its way into the coffers of the political parties”. This, the petition states, needs to be investigated as it falls under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.These quid pro quo arrangements are “in clear violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988”, specifically the offences relating to commercial organisations bribing a public servant and influencing public servants by corrupt or illegal means, the petition adds.
