She said the SOPs would reveal the official instructions governing the particulars of information that were to be stored as well as the form and manner in which information was to be maintained by the bank on the sale and redemption of the electoral bonds.”It is relevant to note that the SBI cited the standard operating procedures in its application dated March 4, when it sought additional time of four months to comply with the Supreme Court’s judgement to disclose the details of the electoral bonds,” she said.The RTI response from the SBI was sent within weeks of the apex court admonishing the bank for the non-disclosure of the unique alphanumeric numbers of the bonds in compliance with its directions.The court said its order required disclosure, specifically of all details of the bonds, including the names of the purchaser, the amounts and the dates of purchase.A Constitution bench of the top court had directed the SBI to furnish to the Election Commission (EC) all details of the electoral bonds purchased, and as the case may be, redeemed by political parties, including the dates of purchase.The bench said, “It has been submitted that the SBI has not disclosed the alpha-numeric numbers of the electoral bonds.”In its landmark verdict on February 15, the court scrapped the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding, calling it “unconstitutional”, and ordered disclosure by the EC of the donors, the amounts donated by them and the recipients by March 13. PTI ABS
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