Key Points
Electoral bonds data revealed major donors' name, raising concerns about the relationship between money and politics ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections..
The disclosure of anonymous electoral bonds sheds light on hidden transactions and highlights the need for transparency in democratic processes.Agencies..
By lifting the veil of secrecy from a now-banned election funding mechanism, Indias Supreme Court has shown that the rot in the countrys opaque political donations may be as wide as it is deep...
The State Bank of India, the institution that operated the six-year-old election funding mechanism, knows very well which political parties got money from whom in accounts specially opened for the purpose, but it hasnt divulged that information...
For instance, why should an electricity transmission utility in Uttar Pradesh, Indias most-populous and politically most crucial state, pay more than 2 billion rupees to politicians when its EBITDA for fiscal year 2022 was 6 billion rupees?.
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New data on funds received by parties through electoral bonds made public
17, Mar, 24The new data show the dates the electoral bonds were issued to the parties, the denominations of the funds, number of bonds and the issuing State Bank of India (SBI) branch but not include the unique bond numbers which link the donors to the recipients.
Election Commission publishes data on electoral bonds, a day before Supreme Court's deadline
14, Mar, 24On March 13, the SBI informed the apex court that details of electoral bonds anonymously purchased by contributors and encashed by political parties between April 2019 and February 15, 2024, were hand-delivered to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Infringes on voters’ right to know, access for donors — why SC struck down electoral bonds
15, Feb, 24CJI-led bench disagrees with Centre’s argument that it is justified to infringe Right to Information of voters for larger purpose of curbing black money in electoral financing.
Electoral bonds: SBI share price sees major dip after Supreme Court raps bank
11, Mar, 24After Supreme Court rapped SBI for seeking an extension in the electoral bonds deadline, the share price of the bank saw a significant dip.
SBI tells Supreme Court it has submitted all details of electoral bonds in its possession to ECI
22, Mar, 24In compliance affidavit, SBI chairman said complete bank account numbers & KYC details of political parties haven’t been made public ‘as it may compromise account’s security.’
SBI stalling EBS disclosure reeks of political pressure. Deprives Indians of a sacred right
08, Mar, 24Considering the exclusive nature of this information, one would have expected it to act with promptitude and disclose the relevant information, rather than applying for an extension.
SBI refuses to disclose SOP for sale, redemption of electoral bonds in RTI reply
02, Apr, 24In its landmark verdict on February 15, the court scrapped the Centre's electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding, calling it unconstitutional , and ordered disclosure by the EC of the donors, the amounts donated by them and the recipients by March 13.
How electoral bonds have created the illusion that political funding in India is becoming clean
13, Nov, 23The question of which right ought to prevail over the other is not merely philosophical or normative, but also a practical one. The solicitor general was not wrong when he stated that full transparency of donors' identity might expose them to retribution. In its early years, AAP sought to establish transparency of its funding by publicising its donors' list. It converted them into targets for investigative agencies, and AAP had to quickly let go of its transparency ambitions.
The real question in the electoral bonds issue is – will cash make a comeback?
20, Mar, 24The best way to handle political donations is a modified version of electoral bonds. Going back to the old system with huge amounts of cash collection would be a retrograde step.