Electoral bonds: Contempt plea in SC against SBI

THE SUPREME COURT on Thursday said it will look into a request to list for hearing a contempt petition filed by the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) which was one of those on whose plea a five-judge Constitution bench had struck down the Electoral Bonds Scheme on February 15.

- ANANTHAKRISHNAN G

Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for the NGO, urged the bench presided by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to hear the plea on March 11 when he said the SBI application too is likely to be taken up.CJI Chandrachud asked him to send an email to the court as per the standard operating procedure once the petition is verified by the registry, and he will then look into it.

The ADR plea referred to an application filed by the SBI seeking an extension of time till June 30, for submitting details of electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India, and said the application "is mala fide and demonstrates a wilful and deliberate disobedience & defiance of the judgement passed by the Constitution Bench...".

ADR contended that SBI "has deliberately filed" the application on March 4, "at the last moment in order to ensure that the details of donors and the amount of donations are not disclosed to the public before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections" and that it "neither discloses the progress made so far & steps taken to comply with the judgment...nor it shows even part-compliance of the judgment...".