Electoral Bond Ban: Government to take review plea call next week

The Centre will take a call next week on whether to file a review petition following the apex court’s decision to strike down the electoral bond scheme, said people familiar with the deliberations.

If required, the names of donors can be given to the court in a sealed envelope, without making the information public, they said, ruling out an ordinance to override the judgment with general elections just a few weeks away. The Supreme Court has asked State Bank of India to provide complete details of donations made since April 12, 2019, to the Election Commission of India by March 6.

The Election Commission has to make this information public by March 13. This should include the identities of bond purchasers and recipient parties. The central government is concerned that revealing the identity of donors is in conflict with banking law provisions. “We are weighing various options available as revealing the name of the donors is a complex issue,” said one of the persons cited above.