In response to a Supreme Court order, the State Bank of India (SBI) filed a compliance affidavit on Wednesday, shedding light on the electoral bond saga. According to the affidavit submitted by SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara, a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were purchased, out of which 22,030 were redeemed as of February 15, 2024.
The affidavit revealed detailed information regarding the purchase and redemption of electoral bonds. Between April 1, 2019, and April 11, 2019, 3,346 bonds were purchased. Subsequently, from April 12, 2019, to February 15, 2024, a total of 18,871 bonds were purchased, while 20,421 bonds were redeemed during the same period.
SBI also disclosed essential details to the Election Commission of India, including the date of encashment of the electoral bonds, the recipient political parties, and the denominations of the bonds. The bank provided this information to the EC in a pen drive containing two password-protected PDF files, with passwords provided in a separate envelope for security.
The submission of the compliance affidavit comes amidst heightened scrutiny of the electoral bond scheme. The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision on February 15, deemed the scheme unconstitutional, citing concerns over anonymous political funding. The court directed the EC to disclose donor information, donation amounts, and recipients by March 13, ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.