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Pune: THE Maharashtra Congress has described the failure of State Bank of India to submit details of electoral bonds by the Supreme Court-prescribed March 6 deadline as ”unconstitutional” and a contempt of the highest court of the land.
”The non-disclosure of details by State Bank of India is an act which is highly condemnable. The State Bank of Bank is guilty of being unconstitutional in discharge of its duty. It has raised serious question mark over its credibility,” said Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Gopaldada Tiwari at a press conference on Friday.
On February 15, the Supreme Court had scrapped the Electoral Bonds scheme initiated by the Modi Sarkar. A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra had delivered a unanimous verdict and subsequently asked SBI to submit details of the electoral bonds by March 6.
In this connection, the Congress welcomed the move by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) which has approached the Supreme Court with a contempt plea against the State Bank of India’s for its failure to submit details of electoral bonds within the set deadline of March 6.
”The Association for Democratic Reforms has alleged that the SBI violated the apex court’s directions. It has not only violated the directions of the highest court of the land but has also insulted the court, thereby committing a contempt of the court. It is shocking that SBI which is country’s leading bank can defy someone like the Supreme Court, the apex court of India…What has prompted the SBI to behave in the manner which it has behaved. Is there someone or some political party preventing SBI from resorting to such a disgraceful act ? The Supreme Court should launch an investigation into this as the SBI seem to be clearly avoiding to submit the details,”Gopaldada Tiwari said.
The Congress said the details, if submitted by the SBI, will help whether parties have raised funds from nation’s enemies or from sources hostile to the country. ”People have a right to know about the electoral bonds raised by the political parties. It should not remain hidden. It should be brought out in public domain,” Gopaldada Tiwari said.
The Congress said SBI seems to have forgotten that it is bank belonging to the nation and not an particular political party. ”Is the SBI favouring any particular party. This is a matter of investigation. And the Congress wants an investigation into SBI role. We hope the Supreme Court will initiate a probe into this,” Gopaldada Tiwari said.
The Congress said people of this nation have in SBI and therefore the leading bank should do everything to protect its credibility, prestige and honour. ”It has a constitutional responsbility to discharge and therefore should do everything possible to walk on the path shown by the constitution. The people’s faith in our banking system should not be shaken,” Gopaldada Tiwari said.
The Congress said if the SBI fails to submit the details of the electoral bonds, then the party will be launching a ‘satyagrah’ andolan in Mahrashtra. ”We will agitate against the SBI’s behaviour till it submits the electoral bond details,” he said.
