Today (March 18th) at 10:30 AM, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, will conduct a hearing on the Electoral Bonds Case. The bench will determine the necessity for the State Bank of India to reveal the unique identifiers of Electoral Bonds.
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NEW DELHI: Today, at 10:30 AM, a significant session will be convened by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra participating. This gathering is of particular importance as it is set to determine whether the State Bank of India (SBI) is obligated to unveil the unique identifiers of Electoral Bonds.
The issue at hand stems from a recent session last Friday when the bench criticized the SBI for disclosing details regarding electoral bonds without accompanying them with the unique alphanumeric identifiers. The lack of these identifiers poses a significant obstacle in correlating donors with the respective political parties receiving the funds. The court remarked,
“the SBI had to disclose the unique numbers as per the February 15 judgment,”
thus prompting the bench to issue a formal notice to the Bank, scheduling the matter for today’s session.
In parallel, a noteworthy advancement took place as the Election Commission of India (ECI) disclosed on its website, just yesterday, the donation details received by various political entities. This action follows the directive of the Supreme Court, adhering to the interim orders issued on April 12, 2019, and November 2, 2023. Additionally, on March 11, the Court had mandated the ECI to make these details public, emphasizing the importance of transparency in political funding.
Moreover, the narrative around the Electoral Bonds Scheme continues to evolve with the recent application submitted by the “Citizens Rights Trust.” This group is advocating for a directive to be issued to both the SBI and the ECI, demanding the revelation of transactions involving electoral bonds, which reportedly amass to Rs 4000 crores, and were sold in the period stretching from March 1, 2018, to April 12, 2019.
The unfolding of these events indicates a pivotal moment in the legal and political landscape of India, spotlighting the transparency and accountability of electoral financing.
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