Former Supreme Court Judge Questions State Bank of India’s Request for Extension on Electoral Bond Details Disclosure

In a recent interview with The Wire, former Supreme Court Justice Deepak Gupta expressed skepticism towards the State Bank of India‘s request for an extension to disclose the details of electoral bonds.

Justice Gupta, who served on a bench in 2019 that directed the SBI to maintain records related to the electoral bond scheme, openly stated that he does not believe the SBI’s explanation for needing additional time.

He labeled the SBI’s position as ‘absolutely ridiculous’ and emphasized that the bank should have stored the information in a manner that allowed for quick disclosure.

During the interview, Justice Gupta underlined the importance of making the electoral bond details public at least five to six days before polling commences.

According to Justice Gupta, the SBI’s purported difficulty in collating 44,434 sets of information, when they handle millions of transactions daily, does not align with the reality of the situation.

He also stated that the Supreme Court has the authority to reject the SBI’s plea for an extension and establish a new deadline for the disclosure of the electoral bond information.