Seminal Judgments Supreme Court Will Deliver In 2024

The year 2024 marks the second year of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud's leadership and will be punctuated by several important cases which are slated to be heard.

Electoral Bonds: Right To Know In Focus

One of the cases which has been heard and reserved for judgment is the challenge to the Electoral Bonds scheme. The scheme is a mechanism whereby anyone can make donations to political parties by purchasing electoral bonds which are bearer instruments. The electoral bonds conceal the identity of the purchaser, thereby making the citizen unaware of the persons donating to a particular political party. The petitioners had challenged the scheme on the ground that it was ultra vires to the constitutional scheme as it deprives the people to know the funding received by the political parties. The judgment in this case has been reserved and is slated to be pronounced in 2024.

Automatic Vacation of Stay

Another important case which has been heard and reserved by the Supreme Court of India is whether stay or status quo granted in a particular case may be vacated after 6 months elapse in absence of an order directing its extension.

Money Bills

Another important case which will be decided by a seven judge bench of the Apex Court is whether laws like Aadhar being passed as money bills are valid or not. The issue surfaced as the Government introduced and passed laws like Aadhar Act and amendments to the PMLA as money bills.

Money bills are pieces of legislations which can be passed singularly by the Lok Sabha without being passed in the Rajya Sabha. The debate is regarding what kind of laws can be categorised as money bills.

Bribe for votes 

The Court will also pronounce its verdict on whether MPs and MLAs who take bribes to cast votes in the House are immune from prosecution in view of the immunity granted by Articles 105(2) and 194(2) of the Constitution. The Court had in 1998 ruled that those who were given bribe to cast votes were immune from prosecution but the people who gave bribe were very much open for prosecution.