On February 10, 2026, the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to review proposals for limiting election expenses. The Court said the suggestions from petitioner Prabhakar Deshpande, an IIT graduate and chemical engineer, were "worth consideration." Mr. Deshpande called for a clear plan to act against candidates who break rules and to revisit spending caps to protect democracy. While the ECI defended its current measures, including independent expenditure observers, the Court noted the public interest behind the petition. "We have no reason to doubt the plea has been filed in the larger public interest. The plea seeks the Election Commission to formulate a detailed policy to curb excessive election expenditure. The plea cited a report detailing such expenditure. The ECI has filed a counter inter alia questioning the authenticity of the report," said the Bench. This marks a push for tighter controls on election funding in India, aiming for cleaner and fairer contests.