Did ADR and the Opposition parties become tools in its hands in achieving this objective? Other opposition parties fared worse in 2024-25, the first full year after electoral bonds were outlawed by the Supreme Court in February 2024. First, companies or individuals could make political donations directly or through electoral trusts (ETs), by publicly disclosing the parties they were funding, with the receiving political parties filing details of donors with the Election Commission of India (ECI). The trouble was that electoral trusts were sparingly used, and political parties received almost all funds through the opaque cash system. Electoral bonds introduced a third mode, with a critical protection regarding which political parties donors funded.

Source: Indian Express December 26, 2025 18:37 UTC