The Supreme Court on Monday hauled up the State Bank of India (SBI) for providing incomplete electoral bond data to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The data, the top court said, was missing the key link that connected the donor to the recipient political party: the unique alphanumeric numbers.
“We had asked all details to be disclosed by the SBI which includes electoral bond numbers as well. Let the SBI not be selective in disclosure,” the bench, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, orally said during the hearing.
This was the second such instance the top court had asked India’s largest bank to provide the missing data. Last week, on March 15, the apex court had issued a notice to the SBI to explain the reasons why the alpha-numeric numbers had not been provided to the Election Commission in compliance of its directions, saying that the bank was “duty bound” to reveal them.
What are unique alpha-numeric numbers?Each electoral bond is assigned a unique alphanumeric number, which discloses the link between a purchaser of the bond and the recipient political party.
The unique code is visible only under ultraviolet light.
When the SBI provided the data to EC last week, it only provided two separate lists – one of donors and one of recipients. It did not provide the alphanumeric codes.
“There is no manner of doubt that the SBI was required to disclose all details. This, we clarify, will include the alpha-numeric number and the serial number, if any, of the bonds redeemed,” the bench told SBI on Monday.
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Senior advocate Harish Salve, the counsel for SBI, assured the apex court that if the alpha-numeric numebrs are to be given, “we will give them”.
