Details of bank accounts
5 Dec, 2011Background
The appellant had sought information about three separate accounts maintained by different customers in the bank. The PIO declined the information by claiming that the information pertains to third party. The Appellant submitted that someone duped him by persuading him to deposit various amounts of money in these three accounts with the assurance that he would get a loan sanctioned from the bank. He wanted the details about these accounts in order to find out the identity of the person who had cheated him.
View of CIC
The Commission observed that even if there is some truth in what the Appellant claims, at the best, this is a matter which should be reported to the police for investigation rather than requiring the bank to disclose the details of its customer accounts. It is only through an investigation that the facts of the case can be ascertained. The decision of PIO was upheld by the Commission.
Comments
Information about the customers is held by the bank in commercial confidence and is exempt from disclosure under section 8(1)(d).
Citation: Shri Keshav v. Punjab National Bank in File No. CIC/SM/A/2010/001599, 1601 & 1602