Supreme Court: “Fix limit on election expenditure”; Supreme Court Notice to Central Government and Election Commission

• “Fix Limits on Election Expenditure”
• Supreme Court Notice to Central Government and Election Commission
• See what they said…

New Delhi: To control the use of huge sums of money by political parties in the electoral process of the country Supreme Court A big step has been taken. Taking cognizance of a PIL seeking a fixed limit on election expenditure of political parties, the Court directed the Central Government and To the Central Election Commission A reply has been sought by issuing a notice. Due to this decision, there is a possibility of unbridled use of ‘Dhanshakti’ in elections in the future.

The threat of money power to the foundations of democracy: Prashant Bhushan

Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan has filed this Public Interest Litigation on behalf of the NGO ‘Common Cause’. During the hearing, Bhushan argued that “the unrestricted use of money by political parties in elections is undermining the very foundations of democracy. It is unbalancing the electoral process and widening the gap between ordinary candidates and rich political parties.”

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Central Government and the Election Commission on the plea of ​​Congress leader Jaya Thakur

◆ The petition has challenged the law granting lifetime immunity to the Election Commissioners from legal action

◆ CJI Suryakant’s bench said that this provision will be subjected to constitutional scrutiny

— Ravindra Singh Sheoran (@TellingRavindra) January 12, 2026

On this occasion, Prashant Bhushan cited the Supreme Court’s historic verdict in the ‘Electoral Bond’ case. He recalled that the Court has already recognized that unbridled money distorts the democratic process and impinges on voters’ right to information.

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Court comments on changes in five years

Justice Suryakant, Justice Joy Mallya Bagchi and Justice N.V. The hearing was held before Anjari’s bench. During the hearing, Justice Bagchi raised questions on the practical challenges of limits on election expenditure. “Even in developed countries like the US, there are limits on election spending, but candidates circumvent these rules by spending through their friends or ‘third parties’,” he observed. He highlighted that this problem is not only of India but of global level.

Refuse to trust third party reports

The Supreme Court made it clear that the court cannot fully rely on reports of third parties or private organizations on election expenditure, as the Election Commission has often refuted such reports. However, the court held that the petitioner is an IIT graduate and the technical and practical suggested changes in the ‘standard operating procedure’ by him are considerable.

Ordered to reply within next six weeks

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to accept this Public Interest Litigation as a ‘statement’. Also, it has been suggested that the Election Commission should consider what amendments can be made to its existing rules to curb expenditure. The court has ordered the concerned parties to submit their reply in the next six weeks on the entire matter, after which the next hearing will be held.

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