The Calcutta High Court has directed banks to submit reports on whether they are complying with a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circular mandating the publication of customer-related documents in three languages — English, Hindi, and the regional language of the state concerned.
A division bench led by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul passed the order while hearing a petition filed by ‘Bangla Pokkho Charitable Trust’. The NGO sought a direction requiring banks to use Bengali across all their branches in West Bengal in terms of the RBI mandate on customer service.
During the hearing, the court noted that the State Bank of India and a few other lenders have already filed reports confirming the use of English, Hindi, and Bengali. The bench asked the remaining banks to file their compliance reports before the next hearing, slated for the first week of December.
Punjab National Bank, in its report placed before the court on September 15, stated that it would abide by the RBI circular and ensure the publication of necessary documents in trilingual format.
The RBI circular in question was issued on July 1, 2014. It advises both public and private sector banks to display indicator boards at all counters in English, Hindi, and the regional language, and to ensure that all printed material meant for retail customers is available in the same three-language format. The circular also requires banks to provide customers with booklets detailing services and facilities in Hindi, English, and the respective regional language.
The matter will now be taken up in the first week of December.
