"This is in interest of transparency in political funding": Sitaram Yechury after SC pulls up SBI for not furnishing details
Mar 11, 2024
New Delhi [India], March 11 : CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's move to dismiss an application of the State Bank of India (SBI), which was 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.
Sitaram Yechury said that the move by the apex court will ensure the transparency of political funding in the country.
"We welcome the fact that the Supreme Court has dismissed the plea of the SBI. This is in the interest of transparency in political funding in the country, particularly electoral funding. These details will be passed on to EC so it can put them up on its website for public knowledge. It will help in confirming the details of those who have bought these bonds donated to the ruling party. Then it will easily be ascertained what they got in return for financing the ruling party," Yechury told ANI.
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.
In its February 15 judgement, the apex court had set the deadline for SBI as March 6.
The apex court had said that by March 13, the ECI should publish the details of Electoral Bonds on its official website.
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.
