Even though the data on electoral bonds to be submitted by the State Bank of India (SBI) to the Election Commission by Tuesday will not “match” donors and recipients, petitioners in the case as well as activists are suitably enthused. They feel that the data on who purchased a particular bond at what point of time can be collated with other data available in public domain to draw “supporting conclusions”.
Key facts like the names of companies and individuals that bought the bonds, dates of their purchase, as well as the denominations of the bonds bought can give crucial information regarding whether there was any quid pro quo regarding policymaking, whether “shell companies” are involved, and whether any coercion was used to garner the funding, the activists say.
“There are enough data scientists in India who can draw supporting conclusions from these details,” Sanjay Hegde, who appeared for an intervener in the case, told The Hindu.
