BEFI Demands SBI to Honour Court Verdict on Electoral Bonds
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Below we publish the statement issued by the Bank Employees’ Federation of India on March 6
THE Supreme Court of India, in its landmark unanimous judgment on February 15, 2024 declared the electoral bonds scheme, which provided blanket anonymity to political donors, as unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary. It also struck down the legal amendments allowing rich corporations to make unlimited political donations for favours.
The Supreme Court directed State Bank of India, sole banker to handle electoral bondS through only 29 designated branches, to submit full details of contributions and encashment since April 2019 to Election Commission of India within three weeks before March 6, 2024 and ECI to publish the details submitted by SBI on its website before March 13, 2024.
The country observed that SBI after 17 days since the judgment, moved an appeal to Supreme Court on March 4, 2024, just two days before the deadline of March 6, 2024, seeking time upto June 30, 2024 to comply with the direction of the court by which time the ensuing general elections will be over. The reason attributed by the India’s largest bank SBI is that some of the data are stored in physical form kept in sealed covers surprised many in the digital era especially in banking sector when most of the information is available with a click of a mouse.
Of late, it is observed that public sector banks and its personnel are utilised for narrow political interests of the ruling forces, like in the cases of observance of Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra etc. BEFI expresses strong opposition to such activities when the need of the hour is more recruitment in the banking industry and put halt to looting of public money through various means.
Bank Employees’ Federation of India unequivocally opposes utilisation of banks for political purposes and demands that State Bank of India as a public sector bank should disclose and submit all the details of electoral bonds to Election Commission before the stipulated deadline of March 6, 2024 as directed by the Supreme Court since delayed justice is denial of justice. The matter is pending before the apex court and we believe that the Supreme Court will take appropriate decision in this regard.
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