The Supreme Court unequivocally stated that the State Bank of India (SBI) must disclose the numbers of electoral bonds, in addition to the details already disclosed regarding the purchase and redemption of the bonds. In the latest update on the court-ordered disclosure process concerning electoral bond details, a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra reconvened today to consider an application filed by the Election Commission (ECI). The ECI, in its application, requested the return of sealed documents provided by the commission to the court in compliance with its interim order.
The ECI emphasized that it had not retained any copies of these documents to maintain confidentiality and therefore sought the return of the sealed envelopes to proceed with necessary actions. Chief Justice Chandrachud clarified at the outset of today’s hearing, “One thing. Who is appearing for the State Bank of India? They have not disclosed the bond numbers. It has to be disclosed by the State Bank of India.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the court to issue notice to the bank, stating, “I am not appearing for the State Bank of India. But Your Lordships may issue notice to the SBI since they may have something to say. I feel that they need to be here.” In response, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal referred to the operative portion of the court’s ruling, asserting that it was an ‘inclusive’ order requiring all relevant details to be provided.
