The Supreme Court is set to hear the State Bank of India's (SBI) request for an extension until June 30 to disclose details of electoral bonds encashed by political parties before the scheme was abolished last month. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud will lead a five-judge Constitution bench hearing the plea on Monday.
In addition to the SBI's request for more time, the bench will also address a separate plea calling for contempt action against the SBI. The plea alleges that the bank "wilfully and deliberately" disobeyed the Supreme Court's directive to submit details of contributions made to political parties through electoral bonds to the Election Commission by March 6.
The Supreme Court's landmark verdict on February 15 declared the Centre's electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional, citing concerns over anonymous political funding. The court ordered the Election Commission to disclose donors' details, donation amounts, and recipients by March 13.
Following the verdict, the SBI was directed to submit details of electoral bonds purchased from April 12, 2019, onwards to the Election Commission by March 6. The Election Commission was then tasked with publishing this information on its official website by March 13.
On March 4, the SBI filed a plea with the Supreme Court seeking an extension until June 30 to disclose the details of electoral bonds encashed by political parties. Today's hearing will address these requests and determine the course of action regarding the disclosure of electoral bond details.