The Supreme Court on Monday, 18 March, directed the State Bank of India to disclose the unique alphanumeric numbers of all the electoral bonds issued and/or encashed.
But how did we come to know about the existence of the unique numbers for each bond?
Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had claimed that electoral bonds are an anonymous instrument. "How much each donor has distributed to a political party would be known only to the donor," he had said in 2018.
I had purchased two electoral bonds from SBI in April 2018. After running forensic tests on these bonds, I found that they were actually not 'anonymous'.
My investigation for The Quint revealed that these electoral bonds actually carried unique alphanumeric numbers which were not visible to the naked eye – they could only be seen under the UV light on the right-hand side at the top corner of the bonds.
For example: the first bond that was purchased on 5 April 2018 carried a unique number OT 015101.
Similarly, the second bond purchased on 9 April 2018 had the number OT 015102.
Our investigation has come full circle after six long years after the Supreme Court has deemed these bonds as "unconstitutional", and ordered the SBI to reveal all its data, including the unique numbers.
These numbers will help establish a direct connection between the donors and the political parties.
As we wait for unique numbers, you can follow our extensive coverage on the electoral bonds here.
It's investigations like these which help The Quint stand apart from the rest. As we continue to bring you ground-breaking investigations like these, please come forward and show your support. Become a Quint member to help pursue stories, year after year, that matter to the Indian democracy – and promise to bring about a change.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)