Electoral bonds: NGO files contempt plea before SC after deadline for SBI to submit data ends

Non-governmental organisation Association for Democratic Reforms on Thursday filed a contempt petition before the Supreme Court a day after the deadline ended for the State Bank of India to submit details to the Election Commission about electoral bonds.

On February 15, the Supreme Court struck down the electoral bonds scheme as unconstitutional, saying that it could lead to quid pro quo arrangements between donors and political parties. The court had also directed the State Bank of India to submit details of the political parties that received electoral bonds from April 12, 2019 onwards to the Election Commission.

The Supreme Court passed the judgement in response to petitions by Association for Democratic Reforms and civil society group Common Cause.

On March 4, the public sector bank sought an extension till June 30 from the court to provide the information to the Election Commission.

The bank said that 22,217 electoral bonds were issued between the period April 12, 2019 to February 15, 2024. The “details of purchases made at the branches are not maintained centrally at any one place, such as the name of purchaser/donor which could be tallied with date of issue, place of issue (branch), denomination of bond, bond number”, it said in its plea.

On Thursday, the Association for Democratic Reforms in its contempt petition...

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