KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Thursday restrained the Corporation Bank management from holding ‘Halla Bol’ (demonstration holding placards) campaign in front of a loan defaulter demanding repayment of the loan amount.
The court issued the order on the petition filed by P Anil Kumar of Ravipuram, Kochi, against the move by the bank. The petitioner had availed a ‘mudra shishu loan’ of Rs 50,000 under the Prime Minister’s Mudra Yojana Scheme launched in 2015. In fact, he had already repaid Rs 37,000.
However, a group of nearly 10 bank employees along with the chief manager of the Ravipuram branch took out a march to the residence of the petitioner holding the placards ‘refund public money’.
The illegal activity by the bank staff caused irreparable damage to Anil Kumar. The demonstration was wholly illegal and in gross violations of the guidelines issued by the RBI from time to time.
Besides, the ‘Halla Bol’ was neither recognised by any court of law nor by the RBI as a method for the recovery of loans.
The bank had rejected the petitioner’s plea to desist from such activities, insisting that ‘Halla Bol’ will continue at frequent intervals, and that the RBI guidelines were not applicable to the bank.
The court observed that the bank could still have its legal methods of recovery. The court will not come in the way. But its officials should not conduct any sort of ‘Halla Bol’.
“Prima Facie, it affected the petitioner’s right to privacy, a most cherished fundamental, though unenumerated right”, the court observed.