NEW DELHI: Making further directions in the Electoral Bonds case, the Supreme Court in its decision on Monday ordered the SBI to submit and disclose all the details of Electoral Bond data available with the bank including the Unique Alphanumeric Numbers.
The apex court directed the SBI to provide all the details of the Electoral Bonds purchased, and also the Political Parties who received contributions through Electoral Bonds from April 12, 2019, till February 15, 2024 in the entire process.
Directing the State Bank of India not to be selective in disclosing the Elevtoral Bonds details, the five-judge Constitution Bench, of the Apex court, led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, also asked the SBI to provide the details of the Electoral Bonds purchased, and the political parties who received contributions through Electoral Bonds etc from April 12, 2019.
The apex court directed the SBI to disclose the Electoral Bonds numbers to the Election Commission of India (ECI). After the SBI submits the receipt of bond numbers tj the ECI, the Commission should put out all the details on its website forthwith.
The top court also asked the ECI Chairman to file its detailed compliance affidavit by March 21, Thursday by 5 pm, to ensure no further complications, doubts or problems arise in the issue.
The top court, while hearing another plea, however rejected it to pass any order to SBI to disclose the information about electoral bonds purchased and redeemed before April 12, 2019 as well.
The bench led by CJI Dr Chandrachud passed the order after hearing the case where it sought a reply from SBI as to why electoral bond numbers were not disclosed.
The Supreme Court also today during the hearing made it clear and pointed it out that in our judgment, it had asked the SBI to disclose all details and that includes the Electoral Bond numbers as well. "There is no manner of doubt that it (SC) had directed for all bond details to be disclosed," the Apex Court said.
The Top Court in its landmark verdict on February 15 said that the Amendments to the Income Tax Act provision and the Sec 29C of the Representation of Peoples (RP) Act are declared to be ultra vires.
The CJI-led bench had said that the Amendment to the Companies Act (allowing blanket corporate political funding) was unconstitutional.
The Apex Court, in its verdict, had directed the SBI to stop issuing Electoral bonds immediately and also should disclose and submit all the details to the Election Commission by March 6.
The EC will make all donations public within one week of the receipt of the information. All Electoral Bonds within the 15-day validity period shall be returned by political parties to the purchasers, the Top Court had said, in its verdict.
"Lack of privacy of political affiliation would be catastrophic. It can be used to disenfranchise voters. Right to informational privacy extends to financial contributions to political parties," the bench of the Apex Court had said.
The Electoral Bonds scheme was challenged by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Congress leader Jaya Thakur, and Spandan Biswal.
