The State Bank of India (SBI) has complied with the Supreme Court’s directive by submitting an affidavit confirming the submission of electoral bond data to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The bank, designated as the sole issuer of electoral bonds, informed the court that it had provided two files containing information on donors and political parties to the ECI on a pen drive. Despite SBI’s initial plea for more time, the apex court dismissed it on March 11, setting a deadline for data submission by March 12 and instructed the ECI to publish the details by March 15, 2024.
According to the affidavit submitted by SBI, the data was enclosed in a sealed envelope comprising two password-protected PDF files stored on a pen drive. One file contains details of electoral bond purchasers since April 12, 2019, including purchase dates, purchaser names, and bond denominations, while the other file contains information on political parties that encashed the bonds, along with encashment dates and bond denominations.
The ECI is now tasked with collating and releasing the data by the stipulated deadline. The Supreme Court had previously rejected SBI’s plea for an extension, citing “willful disobedience” of its orders, and warned of contempt proceedings. This development follows the apex court’s ruling on February 15, which declared the Electoral Bonds Scheme, 2018 unconstitutional and ordered the cessation of bond issuance by SBI. The court directed SBI to disclose details of electoral bonds purchased since April 2019 to the ECI by March 6 for publication on its official website, emphasizing transparency in electoral funding.
