New Delhi, India

The Election Commission of India has revealed fresh data on the financial transactions of political parties through the now-quashed electoral bonds scheme. Reports suggest that the disclosed data encompassed crucial details such as the issuance dates, number of bonds, denominations, and the respective State Bank of India (SBI) branches involved in the transactions. 

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Additionally, it also includes the dates of receipt and crediting into the respective parties' bank accounts. However, even the new data does not contain any information on the electoral bond numbers. The election commission had provided this latest disclosed information to the SC in sealed envelopes with the poll body not retaining any.

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Each electoral bond issued by the State Bank of India reportedly bears a distinctive alphanumeric code, visible only under certain lighting conditions. This code serves as a means to associate each donation with the corresponding political party that receives it, forming a link between the donors and recipients.

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Earlier, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, leading a five-judge bench, questioned the SBI's reluctance to disclose the individual bond numbers. The court reiterated its earlier directive for full transparency and urged for disclosing all pertinent details, including bond numbers.

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Earlier, the State Bank Of India had requested an extension to submit electoral bond data until June 30, however, the Supreme Court had dismissed it. The unveiling of the electoral bond details coincided with the announcement of the dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, scheduled to take place in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with results expected on June 4.

According to the State Bank of India, a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were purchased and 22,030 were redeemed by political parties between April 1, 2019, and February 15, 2024.

(With inputs from agencies)