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Electoral Bonds: The Supreme Court said in its judgment on Monday, March 18, that it had asked the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose all details and to include the electoral bond numbers as well.
The apex court has directed SBI to submit all details of electoral bond numbers to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and file its Chairman’s compliance affidavit by March 21. After the receipt of bond numbers, ECI shall post the details on its website forthwith.
The SC said that SBI should not be selective in disclosing details. The apex court says it wants all information related to the electoral bonds in SBI’s possession to be disclosed, ANI reported.
“We will say SBI shall disclose the bond numbers and also that you should file an affidavit stating that you have not suppressed any information,” Live Law quoted DY Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), as saying.
“In our judgment, we have taken a conscious decision that the cut-off date should be date of interim order (April 12, 2019). We took that date because it was our considered view that once that interim order was pronounced, everybody was put on notice,” CJI Chandrachud added.
Senior Advocate Harish Salve, representing SBI, said the bank would do it.
“We will give every bit of information we have. SBI is not holding back any information we have,” he said.
“It is just that the media is always behind us, with the petitioners saying they will take the SBI to task, haul them up in contempt,” Salve added.
Congress accuses Modi govt of extortion
On March 18, the Congress stepped up its attack against the Narendra Modi-led government over electoral bonds. The Grand Old Party has accused the Centre of hafta vasuli (extortion), PTI reported.
It claims that 21 firms that have faced investigations from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) or Income Tax (I-T) department have donated through electoral bonds.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that, with each passing day, more examples emerge of the true depths of the “electoral bond scam”.
“Today, we zoom in on the ‘Pradhan Mantri Hafta Vasuli Yojana’, the second of the four channels of corruption in the Electoral Bond Scam: 1.Chanda Do, Dhandha Lo 2.Hafta Vasuli (sic),” Ramesh posted on X (formerly Twitter).
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Published: 18 Mar 2024, 11:02 AM IST
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