When SBI Tried To Stall, Supreme Court Stood Tall: Kapil Sibal On Poll Bonds Issue

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday hailed the Supreme Court’s dismissal of SBI’s plea seeking an extension of time to disclose the details of electoral bonds, saying “when SBI tried to stall, the court stood tall”.

In a major setback to the State Bank of India, the Supreme Court on Monday trashed its plea seeking an extension of time and ordered it to disclose the details of electoral bonds to the Election Commission by close of business hours on March 12.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud also directed the EC to publish the details shared by the bank on its official website by 5 pm on March 15.

In a post on X, Mr Sibal said, “Electoral Bonds: SBI’s application for extension of time to reveal details only in June, not by March 13, 2024, as directed by the Supreme Court. When SBI tried to stall, the Court stood tall!”

Terming the SBI’s reasons for seeking an extension in disclosing electoral bond details “puerile”, Mr Sibal on Sunday said it is the Supreme Court’s responsibility to protect its dignity and that it “would not be easy” to accept the bank’s plea when a Constitution bench has rendered a judgement.

Mr Sibal, who led the argument for the petitioners in the Supreme Court case against the electoral bond scheme, said the SBI claiming that it would take several weeks to make the data public sounds like “somebody wants to protect somebody”.

On Monday, the bench, also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, put the SBI on notice that the apex court may be inclined to proceed against it for “wilful disobedience” of its February 15 verdict if the bank failed to comply with its directions and timelines.

The bench said it had not directed the bank to match the details of donors and done with other information. The SBI has to just open the sealed cover, collate the details and give the information to the EC, it said.