In compliance of Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directions, contained in its order dated Feb 15 & March 11, 2024 (in the matter of WPC NO.880 of 2017), the State Bank of India (SBI) had provided the data pertaining to the electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 12, 2024. The ECI today uploaded the details as part of public disclosure on it’s website.
Electoral bonds were introduced in India in 2018 as a means for political funding. However, critics argue that these bonds lack transparency as the donors’ identities are not disclosed publicly. This opacity has raised concerns about potential misuse and lack of accountability in political funding.
The data as received from SBI can be accessed at this url:
https://www.eci.gov.in/disclosure-of-electoral-bonds
https://www.eci.gov.in/candidate-politicalparty
The demand for disclosure of data related to electoral bonds, including information from the State Bank of India, has been raised by various stakeholders including civil society organizations, political parties, and the media.
