Supreme Court says SBI should disclose electoral bonds numbers; issues notice to it

Satya Prakash 

New Delhi, March 15

The Supreme Court on Friday said the State Bank of India (SBI) should disclose electoral bonds numbers, in addition to the details it had already disclosed with regard to purchase and redemption of the bonds.

A Constitution Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud issued notice to the bank asking to spell out its stand.

The top court also ordered the return of certain documents submitted to it in sealed covers by the Election Commission.

The Bench – which had on March 11 ordered the SBI to hand over the details of electoral bonds sold to the Election Commission — took exception to the fact that the SBI didn’t make public the electoral bonds’ numbers.

Reading the operative portion of the court’s order, senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan insisted on behalf of the petitioners that it was an ‘inclusive’ order requiring all relevant details to be furnished by the SBI to the EC for making them public.

“Really speaking, we can take exception to what the SBI has disclosed,” the CJI noted.

The Bench directed the top court secretary general to ensure that the data filed by the EC was scanned and digitised by 5 pm on Saturday.

“Once this is complete, the original copy was directed to be returned to the Election Commission. A copy of the scanned and digitised files will also be made available to them. Then, this data is to be uploaded on the Election Commission’s website,” it ordered, disposing of the EC pleas.

In an application filed in the top court on March 12, the EC submitted that it had not retained any copies of those documents to maintain confidentiality. It requested the top court to return the sealed cover documents so that it can upload them on its website as per the court’s March 11 order.

The Supreme Court had also directed the ECI to upload the information regarding political parties’ funding through the bonds, which were submitted before the Supreme Court in sealed covers pursuant to interim orders passed on April 12, 2019, and November 2, 2023, it pointed out.

Copies of the statements which were filed by the EC before this court would be maintained in the office of the EC, the top court had said in its order.