Alphanumeric numbers: The hearing on the electoral bonds case on Monday saw the five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud pulled up the country's largest bank, the State Bank of India or SBI, asking it not to be “selective” while sharing information. The SC has asked SBI to disclose all data related to the electoral bonds scheme by  March 21. The SC has asked SBI to publish alphanumeric numbers by March 21

The apex court said that the SBI can't be selective and has to disclose all "conceivable" electoral bond details in its possession. The details which the SC has asked SBI to disclose include unique bond numbers that would disclose the link between the buyer and the recipient political party of an electoral bond.

The top court said that the State Bank of India has to disclose all "conceivable" electoral bond details in its possession, including unique bond numbers that would disclose the link between the buyer and the recipient political party.

Unique identification number

The five-judge bench said that the apex court had earlier asked the SBI to disclose all the details of the bonds and it should not wait for further orders on this aspect.

"We had asked all details to be disclosed by the SBI which includes electoral bond numbers as well. Let SBI not be selective in disclosure," the bench, also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, orally said during the hearing.

The SC had last week issued a notice to the SBI to explain the reasons for the non-disclosure of unique alpha-numeric numbers in compliance with its directions, saying the SBI was "duty bound" to reveal them.

On April 12, 2019, the apex court had issued an interim order directing that the information about the donations received and donations that will be received must be submitted by political parties to the EC in a sealed cover.

In its landmark verdict on February 15, the top court had scrapped the Centre's electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding, calling it "unconstitutional" and ordered disclosure by the EC of donors, the amount donated by them, and the recipients by March 13. 

(With PTI inputs)