Electoral bonds: Supreme Court's order which dismissed SBI plea was very categorical, says Congress MP Manish Tewari
Mar 11, 2024
New Delhi [India], March 11 : Congress MP Manish Tewari on Monday lauded the Supreme Court's decisive dismissal of the State Bank of India's (SBI) plea for an extension on the electoral bonds case. He commended the court's categorical order, criticizing SBI for allegedly obfuscating the matter.
"The Supreme Court's order was very categorical. The State Bank was unfortunately obfuscating because the data is available at the click of a button. So under those circumstances that application was misconceived in the first place and the Supreme Court has rightly dismissed it. Now we hope that that data is provided expeditiously and the Election Commission uploads it on its website," Manish Tewari said.
Earlier in the day the Supreme Court dismissed an application of the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking an extension of time till June 30 to submit details of Electoral Bonds to the Election Commission of India and asked the bank to disclose the details by March 12.
Meanwhile, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury emphasized that the court's decision is in the interest of enhancing transparency in political funding, especially electoral funding.
"We welcome the fact that the Supreme Court has dismissed the plea of the SBI. This is in the interest of transparency of political funding in the country, particularly electoral funding," Sitaram Yechury said.
A five-judge Constitution bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra ordered that the details be disclosed by the bank on March 12.
The apex court also directed the Election Commission of India to compile the information to be furnished by the SBI and publish the details on its official website no later than March 15, 2024, by 5 pm.
