By: ESHWAR

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The Supreme Court on Monday, 11 March, declined to extend the deadline given to the State Bank of India (SBI) to provide data regarding electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India (EC).

In its verdict delivered last month declaring the electoral bonds scheme as 'unconstitutional', the apex court had asked that the SBI provide details of the donors, political parties, and denominations of the bonds purchased between April 2019-February 2024 to the EC by 6 March, following which the EC was to make the data public by 13 March.

The SBI on 4 March had filed an application to request an extension till 30 June 2024 to provide the said data to the EC. With the verdict already being seen as a setback for the central government, activists, political observers, and Opposition parties immediately pointed towards the timeline stated by the SBI, highlighting the fact that the data will not be revealed till the general elections conclude.

What did the SBI argue while seeking an extension? Why did the SC refuse to grant the bank time till 30 June? Did the SBI really need four months to provide the data in the first place?

Find the full explainer here.

READ HERE

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