In New Delhi, the Association for Democratic Reforms has lodged a contempt plea with the Supreme Court, alleging that the State Bank of India failed to adhere to the March 6 deadline for divulging details about electoral bonds. Additionally, the SBI has petitioned the Supreme Court for an extension to provide these particulars. Advocate Prashant Bhushan brought the ADR’s plea before a bench presided over by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Thursday.
Representing ADR, Bhushan disclosed that the SBI has submitted a plea for an extension, expected to be scheduled on Monday. Concurrently, ADR has initiated a contempt petition. Bhushan remarked, “We request that our application be concurrently listed with that,” to which the bench consented to scrutinize.
The bench instructed the NGO’s representative to dispatch an email, assuring it would be listed for a hearing on March 11.
Seeking an extension until June 30, 2024, the State Bank of India has approached the Supreme Court to furnish information concerning electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In a ruling delivered by a constitution bench on February 15, the apex court mandated that the SBI must provide information to the ECI by March 6. The electoral bond scheme was declared unconstitutional by the apex court.
The SBI, in its application to the apex court, contended, “Given the stringent measures to maintain donor anonymity, the ‘decoding’ of electoral bonds and aligning donors to donations would be a complex process.”
“The three-week timeline fixed by the court in its judgment dated 15.02.2024 would not suffice for the entire exercise. Therefore, an extension of time is requested to comply with the judgment,” stated the application by the public sector bank.
ADR’s contempt plea asserted, “The application is malicious and displays willful disobedience of the Constitution Bench’s judgment. It is a clear attempt to undermine the court’s authority.”
“The State Bank of India intentionally filed the application on 04.03.2024 at the last moment to prevent disclosing donor details and donation amounts to the public before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The application fails to disclose progress and steps taken to comply with the judgment,” contended the contempt plea.
It noted that the SBI possesses unique numbers for each Electoral Bond and the KYC details of purchasers. “The KYC requirement is stated in Section 4 of the EB scheme, making SBI well aware of purchasers’ identities,” it added.
“The electoral bonds are entirely traceable, evidenced by SBI’s secret number-based record of donors and the political parties they contribute to,” emphasized the contempt plea.