The Supreme Court’s directives on Electoral Bonds:
A. State Bank of India (SBI) to halt issuance of electoral bonds.
B. SBI to furnish details of electoral bonds purchased since April 12, 2019, to the Election Commission of India (ECI), including purchase date, purchaser’s name, and bond denomination.
C. SBI to disclose political parties receiving contributions through electoral bonds since April 12, 2019, to the ECI, including bond encashment details.
D. SBI to provide the above information to the ECI by March 6, 2024.
E. ECI to publish received information on its website by March 13, 2024.
F. Political parties to return unencashed electoral bonds within the 15-day validity period, with SBI refunding purchasers’ accounts.
The 5-judge bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, issued the judgment on writ petitions filed by various parties, with representation by Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, and others. Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Union.
