Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay urges ECI to frame rules under RPA Section 29A for party registration, internal democracy, and funding transparency to stop "bogus" parties from laundering black money.
Parties must publish constitution, rules, and regulations on website homepages; ECI to verify compliance and ensure secularism and accountability.
Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issue notice to Centre, ECI, Law Commission; direct impleading all national parties as respondents.
Supreme Court Seeks Rules For Political Party Registration, Funding Transparency
Supreme Court Issues Notice to Centre, ECI on PIL Seeking Rules for Political Party Registration and Transparency in Operations
Summary
The Supreme Court on Monday issued fresh notices to the Union government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a public interest litigation (PIL) demanding statutory rules for the registration and regulation of political parties. The plea, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, spotlights the unchecked proliferation of "bogus" parties allegedly laundering black money, appointing criminals to leadership roles, and eroding democratic integrity—issues that have festered amid recent Income Tax raids exposing hawala networks worth hundreds of crores.
The PIL, an offshoot of an earlier September 2025 petition, builds on the apex court's growing scrutiny of electoral malpractices. Upadhyay argues that political parties, despite wielding "plenary powers" to disqualify legislators, shape laws, and dictate governance, operate in a regulatory vacuum, unlike companies or trusts bound by transparency norms. "There is no law to ensure internal democracy, transparent funding, or accountability," the plea contends, citing Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951, which merely facilitates registration without oversight on functioning.
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