Today, the Supreme Court emphatically declared that the State Bank of India (SBI) must not only reveal the information it has already provided regarding the acquisition and redemption of electoral bonds but also disclose the respective bond numbers.

Today, a bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra reconvened to address an application filed by the Election Commission as part of the ongoing court-mandated disclosure process regarding electoral bonds details. The Election Commission requested the return of sealed cover documents previously submitted to the court in compliance with its interim order.

The Election Commission emphasized that it had not kept any copies of the documents to maintain confidentiality. Consequently, it requested the return of the sealed envelopes from the court in order to proceed with the necessary actions.

At the beginning of today's hearing, Chief Justice Chandrachud made a clear statement, saying, "One thing. Who is representing the State Bank of India? They have not revealed the bond numbers. It is the responsibility of the State Bank of India to disclose them."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the court to serve notice to the bank, stating, "I am not representing the State Bank of India. However, Your Lordships may issue notice to the SBI as they might have pertinent information to provide. I believe it's imperative for them to be present."

In response, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal referred to the operative portion of the court's ruling, emphasizing that it was an 'inclusive' order mandating the provision of all relevant details.

"Really speaking, we can take exception to what the SBI has disclosed," the chief justice also countered. He also disapproved of the State Bank's counsel not being present, to which SG Mehta said that they were not parties to the Election Commission's application.

Initially hesitant, Chief Justice Chandrachud, under the insistence of the solicitor general, ultimately directed notice to be issued to the State Bank of India.

The bench additionally resolved the Election Commission's application with no objection from any party. It directed the registrar general to ensure that the data submitted by the commission is scanned and digitized by 5 PM tomorrow. Once this process is finalized, the original copy is to be returned to the Election Commission of India, while a copy of the scanned and digitized files will also be provided to them. Subsequently, the data is instructed to be uploaded onto the Election Commission's website.

Case Details : Association for Democratic Reforms & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors. | Diary No. 11805 of 2024