SBI submits details of electoral bonds to EC, poll panel acknowledges
The State Bank of India on Tuesday submitted details of electoral bonds to Election Commission. This comes a day.
After the top court rejected the lender’s plea seeking an extension of deadline to disclose details of electoral bonds.
“In compliance of Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directions to the SBI, contained in its order dated Feb 15 & March 11, 2024 (in the matter of WPC NO.880 of 2017), data on electoral bonds has been supplied by State Bank of India to Election Commission of India, today, March 12, 2024,” the Election Commission posted on social platform X.
On Monday, the top court bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud dismissed the SBI’s plea seeking extension of time till June 30 to disclose the details. The bench also directed the poll panel to publish the information shared by the bank on its official website by 5 p.m. on March 15.
“In view of the above discussion, the miscellaneous application filed by SBI seeking an extension of time for the disclosure of details of the purchase and redemption of electoral bonds until June 30, 2024, is dismissed,” the apex court had ruled.
The opposition parties including the Congress had hailed the Supreme Court order rejecting SBI plea.
“With the Supreme Court’s decision, the country will soon come to know who donated to the BJP through electoral bonds. This is the first step in exposing the corruption, scams and transactions of the Modi government,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had said in a post on social platform X.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Narendra Modi government over the top court ruling. “Electoral Bonds will prove to be the biggest scam in Indian history and will reveal the real face of Narendra Modi in front of the country by exposing the nexus between corrupt industrialists and the government,” he had said.
On February 15, the Supreme Court in a landmark verdict had directed the SBI to stop issuing electoral bonds and submit details to the poll panel by March 6. A bench headed by CJI Chandrachud said the electoral bonds scheme is violative of freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
The CAA was passed by the parliament in December 2019. However, for several years, the government refrained from notifying the rules. Last month, Shah had announced that the Citizenship Amendment Act would be implemented before the 2024 general elections.