In a significant ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court of India has directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose all details related to electoral bonds, including unique bond numbers linking buyers and recipient political parties. The apex court emphasized that SBI cannot be selective in disclosing information and must provide all conceivable electoral bond details in its possession.

The directive came during a hearing over SBI’s failure to furnish unique numbers of electoral bonds to the Election Commission. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, reiterated that SBI was required to disclose all details, including alphanumeric and serial numbers of the bonds redeemed.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing SBI, assured the court that the bank would provide the bond numbers if required. However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, stressed the importance of curbing black money and urged the court to consider the implications of its judgment, particularly regarding public perception and social media reactions.

CJI DY Chandrachud reaffirmed the court’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and the Constitution, emphasizing that judges are bound by legal principles and not influenced by external pressures, including social media scrutiny.

The Supreme Court has instructed SBI to file an affidavit by March 21, confirming the disclosure of all electoral bond details in its possession.