The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has rebuked officials of the State Bank of India (SBI) for failing to comply with its December 2024 directive to remove a lien mark on a petitioner’s account. Palak Agrawal, the petitioner, had approached the court in 2023 after her bank account was marked with a lien, restricting her access to her funds. The court had ruled in her favor, directing SBI to remove the restriction, but the bank failed to do so, leading to a contempt petition being filed.
SBI’s counsel cited procedural requirements from the bank’s Hyderabad office as the reason for the delay, but the court was not satisfied with this explanation. The court noted that the petitioner had suffered for over three months at the hands of the bank due to the non-compliance of its order and directed the senior-most SBI officer in Nagpur to file an affidavit explaining the delay.
The court expressed profound dissatisfaction over the prolonged ordeal of the petitioner and cautioned that stringent action would be taken against SBI officials without a satisfactory explanation. The court also noted that such administrative inefficiencies caused unwarranted harassment to customers and adjourned the hearing till April 15.
The lien mark, which is a legal restriction on funds, was imposed to secure a debt or cover potential liabilities. The court’s order was clear and explicit, and the bank’s failure to comply with it has caused inconvenience and distress to the petitioner. The court’s decision is a clear message to banks to comply with court orders promptly and avoid causing unnecessary harassment to customers.