The State Bank of India (SBI) informed the Supreme Court today that a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were bought and 22,030 were redeemed by political parties from April 1, 2019, to February 15, 2024.
In an affidavit submitted to the apex court in compliance with its directives, SBI stated that it has provided the details of electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India as of March 12, 2024, before the close of business hours.
The bank disclosed information such as the purchase date of each electoral bond, the names of purchasers, and the denominations of the bonds purchased.
Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara filed the affidavit, adding that SBI has also shared details including the encashment date of the electoral bonds, the names of political parties receiving contributions, and the denominations of the bonds with the EC.
On March 11, a five-judge Constitution bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud rejected SBI's plea for an extension and mandated it to reveal electoral bond details to the EC by the end of business hours on March 12.
Furthermore, the apex court directed the EC to publish the shared details on its official website by 5 pm on March 15.
In a significant decision rendered on February 15, a five-judge Constitution bench annulled the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme, which permitted anonymous political funding, deeming it "unconstitutional". The court ordered the EC to disclose donor details, donated amounts, and recipients by March 13.
The top court also ordered the closure of the scheme and instructed SBI, the authorized financial institution, to submit details of electoral bonds purchased from April 12, 2019, until the present to the EC by March 6.
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