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Synopsis : SBI faces criticism for withholding electoral bond details and legal fees paid to Harish Salve. Transparency concerns raised.
Previously, the State Bank of India (SBI) declined to reveal the specifics regarding electoral bonds, asserting that such information constituted personal data held in a fiduciary capacity. The bank cited provisions of the RTI Act as grounds for withholding information pertaining to the now-defunct scheme.
Similarly, the SBI has rebuffed a request to disclose the legal fees paid to senior advocate Harish Salve, who represented the bank in the electoral bonds case before the Supreme Court. This response came in reply to an RTI inquiry filed by activist Ajay Bose. Bose argued that these fees were funded by taxpayers and questioned the bank's reluctance to disclose them.
In its response, the bank cited exemptions under the RTI Act, stating that the requested information falls under third-party personal data held in a fiduciary capacity and is therefore exempt from disclosure under sections 8(1)(e) & (j) of the Act.
While the information regarding electoral bonds is publicly available on the Election Commission website, the SBI declined to provide details of the scheme, citing exemptions under sections 8(1)(e) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
Activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (retired) filed an RTI seeking comprehensive data on electoral bonds, as provided to the Election Commission following a Supreme Court order. Despite the information's availability on the Election Commission website, the bank refused to disclose details, invoking exemptions under sections 8(1)(e) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
Batra criticized the SBI's refusal, considering the information's public availability. Additionally, he requested information regarding the legal fees paid to senior advocate Harish Salve, emphasizing that such details involve taxpayer funds.
