The Election Commission (EC) has made public the electoral bond details submitted by political parties, following directives from the Supreme Court's interim order dated April 12, 2019. This disclosure includes data up to April 12, 2019, with details beyond this date already released by the EC last week.
Political parties complied with the Supreme Court's order by submitting data on electoral bonds in sealed covers, as per the EC's statement. The EC, in turn, deposited this data with the Supreme Court without opening the sealed covers. Recently, the Supreme Court returned the physical copies along with a digitized record stored in a pen drive, as per its order on March 15, 2024. The EC has now uploaded this digitized data onto its website.
Last Thursday, the EC had already released information regarding electoral bonds issued from April 12, 2019, to February 15, 2024. Concurrently, it approached the Supreme Court to retrieve and disclose data from the period preceding April 12, 2019, to ensure complete transparency.
The EC had initially submitted details of poll bonds sold and encashed before April 12, 2019, in accordance with interim orders from the Supreme Court issued on April 12, 2019, and November 2, 2023. On March 11, the Supreme Court, while rejecting the State Bank of India's request for more time to furnish data on the sale and redemption of poll bonds, instructed the EC to publish the earlier data as well.
The EC, seeking a modification of the March 11 order, highlighted its consistent stance favoring disclosure and transparency. It clarified that it had not retained any copies of the documents to maintain confidentiality. In order to upload these details, the EC reiterated the need for the court to return the sealed cover documents.
The Supreme Court had previously scrapped the 2018 poll bonds scheme, directing the State Bank of India to provide data to the EC by March 6, with the EC instructed to publish it by March 13. With its commitment to transparency evident, the EC continues its efforts to ensure comprehensive disclosure of electoral bond data.