What happened: Supreme Court warning on black money and elections
The Supreme Court stated that black money undermines democratic processes. In its discussion, the Supreme Court connected electoral integrity with the overall health of the political system.
The Supreme Court’s central concern was that illicit election funding can distort election outcomes and reduce public faith in elections and political institutions.
Background and earlier position: Why election financing irregularities matter
Election financing irregularities can weaken democracy in two ways: first, they can affect who wins by changing voters’ choices through unfair advantage; second, they can reduce trust in elections when the public believes the playing field is not level.
Within democratic governance, electoral integrity is closely tied to legitimacy — the idea that people accept the election results as fair and credible. When election financing is tainted, legitimacy suffers.