Electoral bonds row: SBI refuses to share information on its guidelines in RTI reply

livemint.com:

NDTV on 2 April. Seeking information regarding the SOPs laid down by the bank for the electoral bonds scheme, noted activist Anjali Bhardwaj had filed a petition under Right To Information (RTI) Act. In response, the bank via SBI's Deputy General Manager M Kanna Babu said that SOPs were internal guidelines.

Also, the SBI stated that the information regarding them are exempted from disclosure under the Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI law. ALSO READ: ‘New heights of hypocrisy’: PM Modi slammed by Congress’ Jairam Ramesh for trying to ‘cover up’ electoral bond ‘scam’ "This section relates to information including commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property, the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of a third party, unless the competent authority is satisfied that larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information," NDTV quoted the RTI reply as saying. Following this, the petitioner said in a statement that the SBI has "blandly invoked the exemption clause without demonstrating how the disclosure would 'harm the competitive position of a third party", adding, she will challenge her appeal.

According to details, the latest development arrived a week after the the Supreme Court pulled up SBI for the delay in sharing details of electoral bonds with the Election Commission of India. The apex court had on 15 February announced the landmark verdict scrapping the poll bonds scheme. The bench – headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud – cited the scheme violates the citizens' right to information.