An application from the State Bank of India (SBI), seeking more time to file information on electoral bonds, will be heard by the Supreme Court on Monday. Earlier, the apex court had given time till March 6 to file the details. However, SBI filed a plea requesting time till June 30.
A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, will hear the plea.
The top court will also hear a contempt petition filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) against SBI. The ADR alleges that the bank willfully disobeyed the court’s order by missing the March 6 deadline.
Also Read: As Supreme Court deadline ends, SBI fails to submit details of electoral bonds
On February 15, the Supreme Court struck down the electoral bonds scheme, calling it “unconstitutional”. It directed the SBI to furnish details of all electoral bond purchases since April 12, 2019, to the Election Commission (EC) by March 6.
It further directed this information to be published on the EC website by March 13.
SBI, however, approached the Court on March 4 seeking more time, citing the “time-consuming” nature of the process due to anonymity protocols surrounding the donors.
Also Read: Electoral bonds worth Rs 16,000 crore sold between 2018-24, BJP gets lion’s share
The ADR’s contempt petition termed the SBI’s plea for extension as “mala fide” and accused the bank of deliberately delaying disclosure to shield donor identities before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
