Chandigarh, April 23: The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission in Chandigarh has directed Punjab National Bank (PNB) to pay Rs 1 crore in damages to a resident following the unauthorized opening and reallocation of her safe deposit locker. The historic verdict found the bank guilty of gross negligence after a sector 9-B resident, Bela Prasad, discovered her valuables were missing.
The complainant stated that she discovered the breach in 2020 when she visited the Sector 9 branch to operate her locker. According to her statement, bank officials had broken open the unit and allotted it to another individual without her consent or prior notification. Prasad maintained that she still possessed the original key to the locker, which the Commission cited as primary evidence that the locker had never been surrendered.
The bank asserted that its records indicated the locker had been surrendered as early as 2013. However, the Commission rejected this argument, noting that the bank failed to provide concrete documentation proving that mandatory legal procedures or notice requirements were followed. The Commission affirmed that the security of a customer’s locker is a paramount responsibility for any financial institution.
In addition to the Rs 1 crore awarded for the value of the missing jewelry, the bank must pay an additional Rs 1 lakh to cover mental agony and legal expenses. The Commission stated that the loss of valuables due to a lack of transparency and the violation of established rules constitutes a major deficiency in service.
