The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): On Wednesday, the Supreme Court was informed by the State Bank of India (SBI) that, from April 1, 2019, to February 15, 2024, a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were acquired, with 22,030 being redeemed by various political entities.
According to a declaration of compliance submitted to the highest court, the SBI reported that, adhering to the court’s instructions, it has disclosed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) the specifics of electoral bonds by the end of the workday on March 12. The bank provided comprehensive details, including the purchasing dates, purchasers’ identities, and the denominations of the acquired bonds.
This information was disclosed in an affidavit by SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara, which also included details on the bonds’ encashment dates, the political parties benefiting from the contributions, and the bond denominations.
A significant order came on March 11, from a five-judge Constitution bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which rejected the SBI’s request for a deadline extension. The bench mandated the disclosure of electoral bond details to the ECI by the end of March 12’s business hours. Furthermore, the ECI is instructed to publish the provided information on its official website by 5 pm on March 15.
The Supreme Court, in a decisive ruling on February 15, annulled the central government’s electoral bonds scheme, which permitted anonymous political donations, deeming it “unconstitutional.” It demanded the ECI to reveal the identities of the donors, the contributed amounts, and the beneficiaries by March 13. The scheme’s termination was dictated by the court, which also ordered the SBI—the designated financial institution for the scheme—to furnish the ECI with the details of all electoral bonds sold from April 12, 2019, up to the present by March 6.