Election Commission will disclose all details on electoral bonds in time: CEC Rajiv Kumar

A file image of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar (Image Source: Twitter)

The Election Commission has received details from the State Bank of India (SBI) related to the electoral bonds and will share all relevant information in time, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on March 13 in a press briefing. The reply comes in the backdrop of Supreme Court directing the SBI to submit the details of the electoral bonds purchased since April 12, 2019 to the EC.

SBI is the authorised financial institution to issue the electoral bonds. "The SBI was supposed to submit the data by March 12. They have given to us the details in time. I will go back and look at the data (and) would definitely disclose it in time," Kumar told reporters.

Kumar reached here on Wednesday to review preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. "We are ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. We will ensure free and fair elections across the country. We request voters across the country including Jammu and Kashmir to enthusiastically take part in the 'festival of democracy," the CEC said.

He said social media cell will be established in all districts in order to respond to fake news in real time. "Adequate security to be provided to all candidates and central forces will be deployed," he added.

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Kumar said strict vigil will be maintained on online cash transfers through wallets in Jammu and Kashmir. People above 85 years and those with disability will be provided voting at home facility in J-K, he added.

On March 11, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud had dismissed the SBI's plea seeking an extension of time and ordered it to disclose the details of electoral bonds to the EC by close of business hours on March 12.

The apex court had also directed the EC to publish the details shared by the bank on its official website by 5 pm on March 15.

In a landmark verdict delivered on February 15, a five-judge Constitution bench had scrapped the Centre's electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding, calling it "unconstitutional" and ordered disclosure by the EC of donors, the amount donated by them and the recipients by March 13.

Ordering the closure of the scheme, the top court had directed the SBI, the authorised financial institution under the scheme, to submit by March 6 the details of the electoral bonds purchased since April 12, 2019, till date to the EC.

(With inputs from PTI)