Why has SBI not disclosed codes of bonds: SC
Top court sends SBI a notice over the missing unique codes and lists the case for March 19 SC to return original documents that the Election Commission submitted after making digital copies
According to the SBI, 22,217 electoral bonds were purchased and 22,030 were redeemed
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the State Bank of India (SBI) why it had not disclosed the unique alphanumeric numbers of individual electoral bonds to the Election Commission (EC) for publication on its official website.
“In our judgment of February 15, we had directed disclosure specifically of all the details of the electoral bonds, including date of their purchase, the amount, names of purchasers, the political parties which redeemed the bonds, etc. But the bank has not disclosed the numbers of the bonds purchased and encashed.
Why?” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a fivejudge Bench, asked. The court issued a notice to the bank and listed the case for March 19.
The Bench further agreed to return to the EC the documents regarding electoral bonds which the poll body had given the court, in compliance with judicial orders passed on April 12, 2019 and November 2, 2023.
‘No copies retained’
In its judgment on February 15, the fivejudge Bench had directed the EC to publish the confidential information submitted in the court, along with details of electoral bonds. However, the EC filed an application on March 14, saying that it had given the court the originals of the documents and not retained any copies.
The Commission said that it had handed over to the Supreme Court a sealed cover containing 106 sealed envelopes, and then sealed boxes containing 523 sealed envelopes, in two tranches in pursuance of the judicial orders of April 2019 and November 2023.
“We presumed you would have retained copies,” Chief Justice Chandrachud told advocate Amit Sharma, appearing for the EC.
The court ordered its
Registry to scan and digitise copies of the documents in the course of the day and finish the work by tomorrow. The originals will be returned to the EC along with a digitised copy. The ready availability of a digitised copy, provided by the Supreme Court itself, will help avert any delay in the publication of these documents on electoral bonds.
The court, in its February 15 judgment, had required the SBI to provide the EC with the complete details, including dates of purchase; the names of the purchasers; and the denominations of the bonds purchased; along with the details of bonds redeemed by political parties, including their dates of encashment and denominations.
The SBI had said that 22,217 electoral bonds were purchased and 22,030 were redeemed by political parties between April 1, 2019 and February 15, 2024.