The Supreme Court of India on Monday be hearing the petitions seeking a direction for stay on electoral bonds. The petitions filed by two NGOs – Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Common Cause, and Communist Part of India (CPM) will be heard by a bench of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant. The 13th tranche of electoral bond sale will take place from January 13 to January 22, 2020. The Central government had on January 2, 2018, had notified the electoral bond scheme. The instrument is like a promissory note that may be purchased by any Indian Citizen or a company incorporated or established in India from select branched of the State Bank of India. The citizen can then donate the same to any political party of his choice which is registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 and has secured no less than one per cent votes in the Last Lok Sabha elections. The electoral bonds can be purchased four times a year–January, April, July and October. The Supreme Court in November, last year, refused to stay the issuance of electoral bonds for political donation, but directed all the parties to reveal the details of donations received through electoral bonds to the Election Commission in a sealed cover by May 30. In its order, the Supreme Court had also said that while it is willing to hear the matter at length at a later stage, for the interim stay it wanted a situation where the balance was not tilted in anyone’s favour.