Electoral Bonds Case: The case is expected to be heard on March 11, during which the bank's plea for an extension of time will also be addressed.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the primary petitioner in the electoral bonds case, on March 7 filed a plea in the Supreme Court (SC) , urging contempt proceedings against the State Bank of India (SBI). This move follows SBI's recent request to the apex court for an extension to furnish data on electoral bonds.

SBI, the country's largest lender, had filed petition in the apex court on March 4, seeking an extension until June 30, 2024, to furnish the data on electoral bonds. The bank cited the complexity of decoding the data, attributed to the rigorous Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) implemented to safeguard donor information, as the reason for the request for an extension. The original deadline for providing this information was March 6.

"The SBI has wilfully and deliberately disobeyed the judgment passed by the Constitution Bench of this Hon’ble Court, and the same not only negates the right to information of the citizens but also wilfully undermines the authority of this Hon’ble Court," said the ADR in its petition.

The case is expected to be heard on March 11, during which the bank's plea for an extension of time will also be addressed.

The government-controlled lender has not yet furnished any information to the Election Commission of India (EC), as mandated by the apex court's directive issued on February 15, news agency PTI reported. In the same order, the EC has been instructed to publish the disclosed information on its official website by March 13.

The SC on February 15 declared the electoral bonds scheme of 2018 unconstitutional while adjudicating on a series of petitions filed by the ADR and others.