SBI informs SC it has submitted all data related to Electoral Bonds to Election Commission
New Delhi: The State Bank of India (SBI) informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that it has provided all electoral bonds data, including the alpha-numeric identification details associated with such bonds, to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In a recent affidavit submitted in compliance with the apex court's order dated March 18, SBI confirmed that it has furnished all necessary information to the poll body.
The affidavit outlined the details as follows:
- The purchaser's name
- The denomination and specific number of the bond
- The political party that has encashed the bond
- The last four digits of the bank account number of political parties
- The denomination and number of the bond encashed
As per the Supreme Court's directives, the ECI is now required to upload this data on its website.
The electoral bonds scheme, which allowed donors to anonymously contribute funds to a political party by purchasing bearer bonds from SBI, was introduced through the Finance Act, 2017. This amendment affected three other statutes - the Reserve Bank of India Act, the Income Tax Act, and the Representation of People Act.
Several petitions challenging at least five amendments made to different statutes through the Finance Act, 2017 were filed before the Supreme Court. Petitioners argued that these changes paved the way for unlimited and unchecked funding of political parties.
On February 15, after nearly seven years, the Court invalidated the Electoral Bonds Scheme and directed SBI to provide details of the political parties that received contributions through such bonds from April 12, 2019, to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Rejecting SBI's request for an extension on March 11, the Supreme Court directed the bank to disclose the following details for each electoral bond purchased:
- Name of purchaser
- Denomination of electoral bonds
- Details of each electoral bond redeemed by political parties, including the date of encashment
On March 15, the Court observed that SBI had not disclosed the bond numbers. Subsequently, on March 18, the Court instructed SBI to disclose all relevant information regarding electoral bonds, including the details of the alpha-numeric numbers attached to such bonds.
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Nashik court sends ‘godman’ Kharat to 3-day police custody in 7th sexual exploitation case
Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik has remanded self-styled astrologer-cum-godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 29 in the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
Kharat, a former Merchant Navy officer arrested on March 18, is accused of sexually exploiting several women and indulging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic.
In the seventh case, Kharat sexually exploited a married woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems.
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The accused allegedly gave the woman something to drink, sexually assaulted her while her husband sat outside his office and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, on Sunday filed a request application in the court demanding his custody in the seventh case.
Kharat was produced in court for a virtual hearing in the seventh case on Monday.
The prosecution demanded six-day police custody for Kharat, citing the discovery of a locker in Kharat's house during the investigation, from which the police recovered two blank cheques and other documents, all of which have to be probed.
The court agreed to the prosecution's demand and remanded Kharat to three-day police custody till April 29 in the case.
Kharat has been at the centre of a political firestorm, as he was well-connected, and photographs of him with political leaders and other important members of society have been surfacing in mainstream and social media since his arrest.
