Electoral Bonds data Highlights: SC orders SBI to disclose unique numbers by March 21, says ‘should not be selective’

Several political parties declined to share details of electoral bond donors citing various legal provisions, while others said they received the funding instruments through "drop box" or by post without any name.

The DMK, which received most of its donations from a lottery firm, reached out to its donors to seek details of the electoral bonds as demanded by the Supreme Court in 2019.

The BJP cited the amendments to the Representation of People Act, 1951 and the relevant portions of the Reserve Bank of India Act and the Income Tax Act for not revealing its donors.

"It is duly submitted that the electoral bonds were introduced with the aim of bringing only accounted for funds in political funding while protecting the donors from any consequences, therefrom," the BJP said in its letter to the Election Commission.

The Congress shot off a letter to the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking details of donors of electoral bonds, the amount, the bank account in which it was credited and the date.

The SBI responded to the Congress that the details of the electoral bonds were available with the political parties and shared the statement of the bank account which was shared with the Commission.

The Samajwadi Party shared details of bonds of relatively smaller amounts of ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh, but merely mentioned that 10 bonds of ₹1 crore each were received by post without any name.

The DMK, which received almost 77 per cent of its funds from lottery king Santiago Martin's Future Gaming, said it had reached out to the donors of the party to get details of the donations they had made. (PTI)

As an institution, our shoulders are "broad enough", the Supreme Court said on Monday as the Centre flagged social media posts against the court intended to embarrass it after its orders in Electoral Bonds cases.

Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, who was heading a five-judge Constitution bench hearing the electoral bonds case, said once the court delivers a judgement, it becomes nation's property, open for debate.

It said the apex court was only concerned about enforcing the directions given in its February 15 judgement.

In its landmark verdict on that day, the top court had scrapped the Centre's electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding, calling it "unconstitutional" and ordered disclosure by the Election Commission of donors, the amount donated by them and the recipients by March 13.

It had directed that the State Bank of India shall submit details of the electoral bonds purchased since the April 12, 2019 interim order of the court till date to the EC. (PTI)

BSP president Mayawati on Monday hailed the Supreme Court judgment scrapping the electoral bond scheme as "important" and said continuous efforts were necessary to protect the Constitution and democracy.

In a series of posts on X, the BSP president also said that her party had stayed away from using the money power of big capitalists and rich people and, when in power, worked for the welfare of the poor and backward classes.

In contrast, her rival parties mostly worked for their selfish interests, she alleged.

"The latest decision of the Supreme Court in connection with the process of diverting the country's politics and 'janmat' away from public interest and public opinion through the money power arising from secret electoral bonds is important, but continuous efforts are necessary to protect the Constitution and democracy," she said. (PTI)

CJI Chandrachud rebuked Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President and Senior Advocate Adish Aggarwala for his letter seeking suo motu review of the Electoral Bonds judgment.

"Apart from being a senior counsel, you are president of SCBA. You have written a letter asking me to invoke my suo motu powers. These are all publicity-related, we will not get into this. Do not make me say anything more...," the CJI was quoted as saying when Aggarwala sought to mention his letter before the bench.

CJI Chandrachud directed the SBI to provide details of electoral bonds purchased and political parties who received contributions through Electoral Bonds from April 12, 2019, Bar and Bench reported.

The Supreme Court ordered: “This Court had directed disclosure of information on Electoral Bonds scheme to give a logical and complete end to the proceedings and thus issued operative directions in para b and c of the judgment. Para b requires SBI to furnish details of EB purchases from April 12, 2019, till the date of judgment. It shall include name, denomination etc. In para c, we sought directions of political parties who received funding through electoral bonds and SBI was to disclose details of each bond encashed by political parties including date of such encashment...."

On electoral bonds number, the Supreme court said, “There is no manner of doubt that SBI shall make disclosure of all information with it and it shall include the details of electoral bond numbers or the alpha numeric numbers with it." A distinct alphanumeric code, assigned to each bond, will help in correlating electoral bond donors with the respective recipient parties.

The Supreme Court on Monday said the State Bank of India (SBI) can't be selective and has to disclose all "conceivable" electoral bond details in its possession, including unique bond numbers that would disclose the link between the buyer and the recipient political party.

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said the apex court had, in its verdict in the electoral bonds case, asked the bank to disclose all the details of the bonds and it should not wait for further orders on this aspect.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and his arch-rival Lalu Prasad's RJD on Monday traded charges over money received through electoral bonds, accusing each other of corruption.

RJD spokesperson Mrityunjai Tiwari targeted the chief minister's party over reported disclosure to the Election Commission that "a bunch of papers", which turned out to be electoral bonds worth ₹10 crore, were handed over at the JD(U) office here, in April 2019, by an unknown person.

Tiwari said, “The submission makes it clear that while the BJP has itself indulged in corruption through electoral bonds, it has also helped its allies get pecuniary benefits. BJP and JD(U) were in alliance in 2019.” (PTI)

“It's a fact that contesting elections requires money", Union Minister Nitin Gadkari supported the Electoral Bond Scheme developed when the late Arun Jaitley was India's finance minister, saying scrapping this plan will attract black money. Read here.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the Executive Chairperson of Biocon Ltd, has clarified that her Bengaluru-based biopharmaceuticals firm did not make any donations to political parties using electoral bonds. However, she acknowledged purchasing electoral bonds at a personal level to donate to several parties, including the former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular). Read here.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose all details to the Election Commission of India which are in its possession, including the Electoral Bonds' unique alphanumeric numbers corresponding to each bond.

A five-judge Constitution bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked SBI's Chairman to file a compliance affidavit 5 pm of March 21.

The Chairman has to file affidavit indicating that SBI has disclosed all details of Electoral Bonds which were in its possession and custody and no details have been withheld, the court said. (ANI)

The Supreme Court of India on Monday rejected a plea to order the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose information about electoral bonds purchased and redeemed before April 12, 2019. It has asked the bank to disclose all details and to include the electoral bond numbers.

“SBI should not be selective in disclosing the details. We want all information related to the electoral bonds to be disclosed which is in SBI possession," the court said in its judgment. Read here.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan said, "Today, the Supreme Court heard its notice to SBI, asking them why they had not disclosed the alphanumeric number on each bond of the purchaser, as well as of the party which redeemed those bonds...The Court passed an order saying that they must disclose it forthwith and the chairman of SBI is to file an affidavit by 5 pm on 21st March, saying that he has disclosed all the details, including the alphanumeric numbers, and that would have to be uploaded by the Election Commission forthwith, immediately..."

On SCBA President Adhish Aggarwala writing a letter to CJI DY Chandrachud for suo motu review of Electoral Bonds judgement, CJI said these are all publicity-related issues and we will not get into this.

CJI told Aggarwala, "Apart from being a senior counsel, you are president of SCBA. You have written a letter invoking my suo Motu powers. These are all publicity-related… and we will not get into this. Do not make me say anything more. It will be distasteful." (ANI)

Supreme Court directs SBI to disclose all details of Electoral Bonds in its procession, including the unique alphanumeric number and the serial number, if any, of the bonds redeemed.

Supreme Court directs the SBI Chairman to file an affidavit by 5 pm, Thursday indicating that SBI has disclosed all details of Electoral Bonds which were in its possession and custody and no details have been withheld.

Supreme Court says Election Commission shall upload the details on its website forthwith upon receipt of information from the SBI. (ANI)

SC : Mr. Harish Salve says that there is no reservation on the part of the SBI in disclosing all details. To obviate any future controversy, we direct the SBI Chairman to file an affidavit by 5 PM Thursday indicating that SBI has disclosed all details of electoral bonds which were in its possession and custody and no details have been withheld, reported LiveLaw.

Supreme Court rejects a plea to order SBI to disclose information about electoral bonds purchased and redeemed before April 12, 2019 as well. 

Supreme Court says it will ask SBI to disclose the Electoral Bond numbers and also that it should file an affidavit stating that it has not suppressed any information.

SBI says it will give every bit of information it has and the bank is not holding back any information it has. (ANI)

Supreme Court says it wants all information related to the Electoral Bonds to be disclosed which is in SBI possession. (ANI)

Electoral Bonds: The Supreme Court says in the judgment, it had asked the SBI to disclose all details and that includes the Electoral Bond numbers as well.

SBI should not be selective in disclosing the details, says SC. (ANI)

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pravin Darekar on Monday replied to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut over the Electoral Bonds data and said that a gaming company has given more to Tamil nadu ruling DMK, which is a part of the INDIA bloc.

In a post on X, Sanjay Raut had said "On February 28, written a letter to Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and informed him about the online lottery gambling game going on in Maharashtra. Many young children are ruined in this online lottery gambling den and many families have been destroyed. This gambling is supported by the government, as the police and ministry are getting huge installments. Action is demanded. How will Fadnavis take action?" he said. (ANI)

Electoral bonds data 2nd list: In a remark directed at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and referencing the second list of data on electoral bonds released by the Election Commission, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin criticized the electoral bonds as “white-collar corruption" of the ruling BJP. Read here.

“It's a fact that contesting elections requires money", Union Minister Nitin Gadkari supported the Electoral Bond Scheme developed when the late Arun Jaitley was India's finance minister, saying scrapping this plan will attract black money.

Gadkari, in an interview with NDTV, said the main purpose of the electoral bond scheme was that political parties would get money through it which would help push the economy to number one, pointing toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aim on the economic front. Read here.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict on electoral bonds and said that BJP should explain the profits they gained through it.

He also demanded that the accounts of the BJP 'should be seized.'

"The decision of the Supreme Court is welcomed. The BJP should clarify how much they have earned through this scam. The accounts of the Congress party are being seized but the Income Tax is not taking action against the BJP for earning thousands of crores through illegal bonds," he said while speaking to the media in Mumbai. (ANI)

“It's a fact that contesting elections requires money", Union Minister Nitin Gadkari supported the Electoral Bond Scheme developed when the late Arun Jaitley was India's finance minister, saying scrapping this plan will attract black money. Read here.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday described the electoral bonds as “white collar corruption” of the ruling BJP and said the opposition bloc INDIA will form a secular, federal and inclusive government at the Centre.

Stalin was the first speaker at the INDIA grouping’s rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done only two things in the past ten years – foreign trips and fake propaganda. We have to stop this,” he said.

The DMK chief said since the opposition named its bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), the BJP has stopped using the word ‘India’. (PTI)

“Would like to clarify that Biocon did not make any political donation to JDS or any other party for elections. At a personal level I purchased electoral bonds which I donated to JDS & several parties. My donations were nominal on the principle of funding election campaigns with white money,” said Biocon Ltd Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in a post on X. 

Amid Opposition furore over the publication of Electoral Bonds data on the Election Commission's website, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader RP Singh pointed out that out of ₹20000 crore worth Electoral Bonds, ₹6000 crore have been donated to the BJP while the rest went to opposition parties.

"Out of a total of ₹20000 crore Electoral Bonds, bonds worth ₹6000 crore have gone to BJP while bonds worth ₹14000 crores have gone to the opposition. Everybody is answerable and the Supreme Court verdict will be applicable for everyone equally," Singh said speaking to ANI on Sunday. (ANI)

As the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the second list on electoral bonds on Sunday on the directions of the Supreme Court, one name has prominently came up, Santiago Martin.

The 'Lottery King' bought a whopping ₹1,368 crore of the bonds issued between April 2019 and January of this year, or around 11 per cent of the total electoral bonds sold in five years.

State Bank of India's second list on electoral bonds has revealed that the biggest beneficiary of the donations made by Martin's Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR is the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Of the ₹1,368 crore funding by the 1991 Coimbatore-based company, DMK received 37 per cent, amounting to ₹509 crore. Read here.

1. The Bharatiya Janata Party encashed electoral bonds totalling ₹6,986.5 crore; of which ₹2,555 crore were received in 2019-20.

2. Trinamool Congress (TMC) received ₹1,397 crore through electoral bonds, second largest recipient after BJP.

3. Congress redeemed a total of ₹1,334.35 crore through electoral bonds.

4. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) fourth largest recipient through electoral bonds, encashed bonds worth ₹1,322 crore.

5. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) received ₹656.5 crore through electoral bonds, including ₹509 crore from lottery king Santiago Martin's Future Gaming.

6. Samajwadi Party (SP) got ₹14.05 crore via electoral bonds, Akali Dal ₹7.26 crore, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ₹6.05 crore, National Conference ₹50 lakh

7. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) encashed electoral bonds worth ₹944.5 crore, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSR Congress) ₹442.8 crore, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ₹181.35 crore.

Filings by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)), and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) showed nil receipts via electoral bonds. Read here.

Dattatreya Hosabale, the re-elected General Secretary, of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government over the now-scrapped electoral bond scheme calling it an 'experiment.'

Hosabale, 69, was re-elected as the Sarkaryavah, or General Secretary, of the RSS after the meeting of Sangh's highest decision-making body Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) in Nagpur on Sunday.

“We have not thought much about this issue. In the meetings, too, we have not discussed it because electoral bonds are an experiment. Such experiments happen and the kinds of checks and balances that are required can be done," Hosabale said addressing a press conference. Read here.

While several political parties received donations worth crores of rupees via electoral bonds, there is a vast majority which did not get any money through the now-scraped scheme for political funding.

Over 500 recognised and unrecognised political parties had shared details on electoral bonds in sealed covers to the Supreme Court.

The data was submitted through the Election Commission and was put in public domain by the poll panel on Sunday.

Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, which is a recognised national party, has told the Election Commission that it did not receive any funding through electoral bonds since the inception of the scheme. (PTI)

Taking the attack to the BJP over the Centre's now-junked Electoral Bond Scheme, a day after the Election Commission (EC) notified the dates for the Lok Sabha elections, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday called it the "biggest scam of the year".

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the Congress leader said, "This is the biggest scam of the year. The BJP senses that it is losing the Lok Sabha elections and was, hence, resorting to newer tactics against the Opposition." (ANI)

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict on electoral bonds and said that BJP should explain the profits they gained through it.

He also demanded that the accounts of the BJP 'should be seized.'

"The decision of the Supreme Court is welcomed. The BJP should clarify how much they have earned through this scam. The accounts of the Congress party are being seized but the Income Tax is not taking action against the BJP for earning thousands of crores through illegal bonds," he said while speaking to the media in Mumbai. (ANI)

Top purchaser of electoral bonds Future Gaming and Hotel Services donated ₹509 crore to Tamil Nadu's ruling party DMK through the now-scrapped payment mode, the Election Commission's data showed on Sunday.

The donations given by Future Gaming, whose owner, "lottery king" Santiago Martin, has been under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate (ED), accounted for more than 77 per cent of the total receipts from electoral bonds of ₹656.5 crore disclosed by the DMK.

Since most political parties have not fully disclosed the names of the donors, it was not known who were the beneficiaries of the balance ₹859 crore worth bonds purchased by Future Gaming. (PTI)

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Sunday said the electoral bonds is an "experiment" and time will tell how beneficial and effective it has been. 

Asked about concerns being raised on the electoral bonds issue and claims that they were purchased to get favours, Hosabale said the Sangh has not yet discussed about it as the electoral bonds is an "experiment".

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has declared that it will not receive funds through electoral bonds, while the filings made by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) showed nil receipts through electoral bonds.

The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) has told the Election Commission that someone delivered to its office an envelope with electoral bonds worth ₹10 crore way back in 2019, which it encashed within days but has got no information on the donors.  

The party also disclosed the names of Bharti Airtel and Shree Cement as its donors for bonds with ₹1 crore and ₹2 crore, respectively.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh big companies were made to pay hefty donations to the BJP to get big contracts later, while several companies were "forced" to pay up after probe agencies like the ED, the Income Tax and the CBI were let loose on them.

He cited the example of Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Pharmaceuticals, claiming it faced an ED probe after which it purchased the electoral bonds.

While the AAP did not give a cumulative figure of its donations, the SBI's data showed it had received ₹65.45 crore, while it is estimated to have received another ₹3.55 crore after its filing with the EC, taking its total to ₹69 crore (PTI)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday described the electoral bonds as “white collar corruption” of the ruling BJP and said the opposition bloc INDIA will form a secular, federal and inclusive government at the Centre.

The DMK chief said since the opposition named its bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), the BJP has stopped using the word ‘India’.

“This is fear. PM Modi has started defaming us as corrupt, but electoral bonds proved that BJP is corrupt. It's white collar corruption of the BJP,” said Stalin. (PTI)

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that several shell companies have purchased electoral bonds worth much more than their net worth.

"Since 2018, at least 43 companies that were newly incorporated, in 2018 or later, bought electoral bonds within months of their incorporation.

"Their 'donations' amounted to a total of 384.5 crore. Most of these are likely shell corporations, set up with the sole purpose of making electoral bond donations, or other such underhand dealings," he alleged on X.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were answerable on the electoral bond "scam". (PTI)

Electoral Bonds data 2nd list LIVE: The Congress on Sunday attacked the government for using the SBI electoral bonds scheme to divert black money to its accounts. 

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were answerable on the electoral bond "scam".

Electoral Bonds data 2nd list LIVE: The Election Commission of India on Sunday released a fresh set of data on the use of electoral bonds to fund political parties in India. According to the new list, of a total ₹6,986.5 crore donations made to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through electoral bonds, ₹2,555 crore was made during the financial year 2019-20. Whereas, the Indian National Congress (INC) redeemed a total of ₹1,334.35 crore through electoral bonds. (Read full story)

Electoral Bonds data 2nd list LIVE: The Bahujan Samaj Party didn’t receive any donations through the SBI electoral bonds scheme, introduced by the Modi government years ago. Apart from BSP, Communist Party of India (CPI), and Communist Party of India (Marxist), have also not received any donations through the scheme. (Read full story)

Electoral Bonds data 2nd list LIVE: The Election Commission of India on Sunday released the second set of SBI electoral bonds data revealing the donations received by political parties during 2018-19. During the period, the Bharatiya Janata Party has emerged as the biggest donor, followed by the TMC. (Read full list of parties and their donations.)

Electoral Bonds data 2nd list LIVE: In the second list of the SBI electoral bonds released by the Election Commission, Lottery King of India, Santiago Martin, emerged as the biggest purchaser of SBI electoral bonds. Martin had bought a whopping Rs 1,368 crore of the bonds issued between April 2019 and January of this year, or around 11 per cent of the total electoral bonds sold in five years. (Read full story)

Electoral Bonds data 2nd list LIVE: Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference said that the party didn’t receive any donations through electoral bonds  for the period from March 2018  to April 2019.