Petitioners Again for Transparency in Electoral Bonds Consider Supreme Court Appeal

Advocates are again contemplating a return to the Supreme Court in light of the State Bank of India's (SBI) withholding of a critical alphanumeric code on electoral bonds for electoral transparency. This code is essential for correlating donors with the political parties they support.

Prashant Bhushan, representing the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), has indicated a possible appeal to the Supreme Court to enforce the disclosure of each bond's unique identifier. This step is seen as crucial for maintaining transparency in the electoral bond scheme.

Bhushan highlighted the importance of this information, which he believes was implied in the Supreme Court's previous judgment. He expressed concern that the current data released by the Election Commission, which lacks the serial numbers of the bonds, falls short of ensuring accountability in the electoral process.

Following the Election Commission's publication of electoral bond data provided by SBI, ADR co-founder Jagdeep Chhokar emphasized the need to explore the potential uses of the available data. The organization is assessing its options carefully before requesting additional details, aiming to make an informed decision without haste.