The Supreme Court of India has directed State Bank of India to disclose all unique alphanumerical numbers of electoral bonds available with it. This numbers will clarify which donor gave to donated to which political party. The Apex Court also directed Election Commission of India to upload the details on its website once SBI submits the same.

As per the data on electoral bonds already provided by SBI, between April 2019 till date, a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were bought of which over Rs 6000 crore was received by the BJP while All India Trinamool Congress got Rs 1,609.53 crore and Indian National Congress received Rs 1,421.87 crore.

According to Live Law, Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud said on Monday, “In the judgment, we had expressed asked the State Bank of India to disclose ‘all details.’ That includes the bond numbers as well. The bank cannot be selective in disclosing all details. Do not wait for the orders of this court.”

However, the Court refused to direct SBI to disclose the details of electorate bonds bought between 1 March 2018 and 11 April 2019 during which 9,159 bonds worth Rs 4,000 crores were reported sold.

“In our judgment, we have taken a conscious decision that the cut-off date should be date of interim order (April 12, 2019). We took that date because it was our considered view that once that interim order was pronounced, everybody was put on notice. If we have to go back to earlier date, it it will become a substantive modification of the judgment and will require a review of this judgment. This cannot be done in a miscellaneous application,” Live Law quoted CJI Chandrachud.

The Congress continues to alleged the BJP Government at the Centre of using government entities such as the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax and Crime Bureau of Investigation to pressurize corporates to donate money to it and also of awarding work to companies in return for donations. The Opposition Party is also claiming that many companies that donated to the BJP were shell companies and have demanded a thorough investigation. The Congress has also asked for the bank accounts of the BJP to be frozen till the probe is over.

Meanwhile, The Bank accounts of the Congress Party remains frozen over a late income tax file in 2019.