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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SC invalidates appointment of 25,753 teachers, other staff in West Bengal schools
New Delhi (PTI): In a major jolt to the West Bengal government, the Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools, and termed the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted".
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments and ordered the Trinamool Congress-led state government to initiate a fresh selection process to be concluded within three months.
"In our opinion, this is the case where the entire selection process is vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with attempts to cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair.
"The credibility and legitimacy of selection are diluted, and accordingly, we have to keep it (order of the high court) with some modifications," the CJI said while pronouncing the verdict on as many as 127 petitions pertaining to the Calcutta High Court verdict.
The CJI also said the employees whose appointments have been annulled are not needed to return their salaries and other emoluments earned so far.
It, however, made relaxation for certain disabled employees on humanitarian grounds, saying they would remain in the job.
The bench fixed pleas, including the one filed by the West Bengal government challenging the high court direction for a CBI probe, for hearing on April 4.
The detailed judgement is awaited.
On February 10, the top court reserved its judgement on a batch of petitions in the matter and said that those who got jobs wrongly may be knocked out.
The top court commenced the final hearing on December 19 last year and heard the parties on January 15, 27 and February 10 before reserving its verdict on the politically-sensitive case.
Citing irregularities such as OMR sheet tampering and rank-jumping, the high court had invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal.
On May 7 last year, the apex court stayed the high court's order over the appointments made by the state's School Service Commission (SSC).
The top court, however, permitted the CBI to continue with its probe into the matter.
The case stemmed from the alleged irregularities in the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal SSC in which 23 lakh candidates appeared for 24,640 posts and a total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued.
The apex court had termed it a "systemic fraud".
The high court instructed those appointed outside the officially available 24,640 vacancies, those recruited after the expiry of the official date, and those who submitted blank OMR sheets but obtained appointments to return all the remunerations and benefits received by them with 12 per cent per interest.
Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress MLAs Manik Bhattacharya and Jiban Krishna Saha are among the accused being probed in the recruitment scam.
