ECI uploads more data on bonds till November 2023
Hindustan TimesThe Election Commission of India on Sunday uploaded all electoral bond-related documents that it received from political parties in 2019 and November 2023 in sealed covers, which it had subsequently submitted to the Supreme Court. Between April 12, 2019 and February 15, 2024, VM Salgaocar and Brother bought bonds worth ₹1.5 crore while an associated company, VM Salgaocar Corporation Private Limited bought bonds worth ₹4.45 crore. The Nationalist Congress Party, in its submission dated May 29, 2019 gave details of the donors, but said, “We are unable to furnish detailed particulars of donors against each bond as we neither maintained complete details of the same nor issued any receipts against the bonds received as initially we were not expected to maintain any details of electoral bearer bonds. In its July 6, 2019 submission, it said that under the Income Tax Act, 1961, political parties have been exempted from the need to maintain the details of donations received through electoral bonds. India’s largest electoral trust, the Prudent Electoral Trust, donated ten ₹10 lakh bonds for a total of ₹1 crore to the Rashtriya Janata Dal in April 2019.