Electoral Bonds: Bank Employees Union Urges SC to Take ‘Appropriate Decision’ on SBI’s Plea for More Time

New Delhi: The Supreme Court should take an ‘appropriate decision” with regard to the State Bank of India (SBI) missing the deadline of March 6, for submission of details on electoral bonds, said a bank employees union.

“The matter is pending before the apex court and we believe that the Supreme Court will take appropriate decision in this regard,’ said a press statement by the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI).

BEFI said the reason attributed by the India’s largest bank, which moved an application after 17 days of the SC order, “that some of the data are stored in physical form kept in sealed covers has surprised many in the digital era especially in banking sector when most of the information is available with click of a mouse.”

The BEFI also condemned the use of bank employees and personnel for “narrow political interests”, citing instances of the ruling dispensation observing Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra etc.

“We express our strong opposition to such activities when need of the hour is more recruitment in the banking industry and put halt to looting of public money through various means,” said the release put out by BEFI’s secretary Hari Rao S.

As regards electoral bonds, BEFI noted that the “blanket anonymity to political donors” via electoral bonds purchase was unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary.

The BEFI also said it was “unequivocally” opposed to the “utilisation of banks for political purposes and demands that State Bank of India as a Public Sector Bank should disclose and submit all the details of electoral bonds to Election Commission,” as “delayed justice is denial of justice.”