EC asks political parties to submit electoral bonds data by November 15

The apex court had directed the ECI to submit details of all electoral bonds issued since the inception of the scheme by November 19 in a sealed packet

The Election Commission of India has reminded all political parties to submit details of donations received by them through electoral bonds by 5pm on November 15. The reminder, issued on Tuesday, reiterates its November 3 order which was issued pursuant to the Supreme Court order dated November 2.

The political parties are required to send the information to Binod Kumar, secretary, election expenditure division, ECI. (Representative file image)

The apex court had directed the ECI to submit details of all electoral bonds issued since the inception of the scheme by November 19 in a sealed packet.

In line with an April 2019 interim order, which was reiterated by the Supreme Court in the November 2023 order, the ECI has directed all political parties to give details of the donors against each bond, “the amount of each such bond and the full particulars of the credit received against each bond, namely, the particulars of the bank account to which the amount has been credited and the date of each such credit”.

The political parties are required to send this information to Binod Kumar, secretary, election expenditure division, ECI, in a “double sealed cover” and mark it as “Confidential-Electoral Bond”.

The five-judge constitutional bench, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, had directed the ECI to hand over all this data in a sealed packet to the registrar (judicial) in the November 2 order.

All data related to the sale and purchase of the electoral bonds since the notification of the scheme in January 2018 has to be handed over.

In its November 2 order, the top court directed the ECI to produce updated data until September 30, 2023. It noted that the April 2019 order was not restricted to the date on which it was pronounced. “If there was any ambiguity, it was necessary for the Election Commission to seek a clarification from this Court,” read the order.

The Supreme Court has reserved its judgement in the case.

According to information received through RTI requests by Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd), electoral bonds worth ₹14,940 crore have been sold between March 2018 and October 2023, The Week reported.

Between October 4 and October 13, right before assembly elections commenced in five states, bonds worth ₹1,148 crore were sold of which 95.352% were sold in denomination of ₹1 crore each, according to the report.