Supreme court warns SBI over delay in electoral bonds data release
New Delhi: The Supreme Court strongly rebuked the State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday for “wilful disobedience” of last month’s order to release data about donors and recipients of electoral bonds by March 6. The court warned of contempt proceedings if the data was not released by the end of business tomorrow. The Chairman and Managing Director of SBI were directed to file an affidavit after compliance.
The court, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, emphasized that while not inclined to exercise contempt jurisdiction at this time, it may proceed against SBI for “wilful disobedience” if directions are not followed. The Election Commission of India was also directed to collect and publish all electoral bonds data on its website by 5 pm Friday.
The SBI had requested an extension to the March 6 deadline, citing the need for time to collect and cross-check data stored in two “silos” for confidentiality. The court rejected the plea, pointing out that donor details were available at the SBI’s Mumbai branch and urged compliance with the original order issued 26 days ago.
The court also heard pleas by the Association for Democratic Reform (ADR), which sought contempt action against the SBI for “wilfully and deliberately” disobeying the court’s order. The ADR argued that the extension sought by the bank aimed to obscure details of donors and donations before the Lok Sabha election in April/May.
Last month, the Supreme Court declared the electoral bond scheme “unconstitutional” and directed the SBI to reveal all bonds data by March 6, with the poll panel making the information public by March 13.
