ADR Files Contempt Petition Against SBI in Supreme Court

7 Mar 2024 , 12:15 PM

On March 7, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the main petitioner in the electoral bonds issue, submitted a plea in the Supreme Court (SC) requesting that the State Bank of India (SBI) be held in contempt. This action comes after SBI recently asked the supreme court for an extension to provide electoral bond data.

The biggest lender in the nation, SBI, petitioned the Supreme Court on March 4 to extend till June 30, 2024, the deadline for providing the electoral bond data. The bank requested an extension, citing the difficulty in deciphering the data as a result of the stringent Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) put in place to protect donor information.

“The SBI has wilfully and deliberately disobeyed the judgement passed by the Constitution Bench of this Hon’ble Court, and the same not only negates the right to information of the citizens but also wilfully undermines the authority of this Hon’ble Court,” stated the ADR in its appeal.

On March 11, the case is scheduled to be heard, and at that time, the bank’s request for a postponement of the proceedings will also be discussed.

According to news agency PTI, the government-controlled lender has not yet provided any information to the Election Commission of India (EC), as required by the instruction issued on February 15 by the supreme court. The EC is required by the same order to make the revealed information available on its official website by March 13.

On February 15, the Supreme Court ruled that the 2018 electoral bonds programme was illegal in its decision to consider many petitions submitted by the ADR and other parties.

For feedback and suggestions, write to us at [e-mail]