National Desk, 15th March: The Supreme Court has rebuked the State Bank of India (SBI) for its failure to provide Electoral Bonds data with unique alphanumeric numbers, crucial for identifying the bonds. As a result, the court has issued a notice to the bank, demanding its response by Monday.
A five-judge Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, expressed dissatisfaction with SBI’s compliance with its March 11 order. In that directive, the bank was mandated to disclose all details related to Electoral Bonds.
The apex court stressed that its previous judgment had emphasized the necessity of making all Electoral Bond details available, including the purchase date, purchaser’s name, and denomination. However, it was revealed that SBI had omitted the alphanumeric numbers linked to the Electoral Bonds.
Consequently, the bench instructed the Supreme Court’s Registry to issue a notice to SBI, returnable on Monday. Additionally, the court granted the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) request for the return of Electoral Bonds’ documents, previously submitted in sealed cover.
The ECI clarified to the bench that it had not retained any copies of these documents to uphold confidentiality and sought their return to fulfill the court’s directive of uploading the data on its website. The apex court directed its Registrar Judicial to ensure the scanning and digitization of documents, after which the original documents would be returned to the ECI. The ECI will then upload them on its website by March 17.
During the hearing, the apex court expressed concern over SBI’s non-disclosure of the bond numbers, emphasizing the bank’s obligation to do so. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the court to issue notice to the bank, suggesting that they might possess relevant information to provide.
In a previous verdict in February, the Supreme Court had invalidated the Electoral Bonds Scheme, which allowed for anonymous funding to political parties, and directed SBI to cease issuing Electoral Bonds immediately. The court had also struck down amendments made to the Income Tax Act and the Representation of People Act, which had enabled anonymous donations.
The court’s decision to seek clarification from SBI highlights the ongoing legal battle surrounding electoral funding and transparency in India’s political landscape.
Read More: PM Narendra Modi to Visit Bhutan Following Invitation from Bhutanese Counterpart