- By Akansha Pandey
- Thu, 30 Oct 2025 05:12 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has found the State Bank of India (SBI) guilty of a deficiency in service. The bank was accused of rejecting a customer's EMIs despite sufficient funds being available in her account, and also levying bounce charges on her.
In this matter, the Commission has ordered SBI to pay the customer Rs 1.7 lakh as compensation for mental anguish and litigation costs. The Commission also found that SBI failed to prove that the account lacked sufficient funds.
The Commission stated that SBI should not "say two contradictory things at the same time." It noted that when other EMIs under the same ECS mandate were paid, the rejection of 11 EMIs was inconsistent. Under ECS (Electronic Clearing System), the bank automatically deducts payments from a customer's account with their permission.
The Commission said that since the remaining installments were passed on the same ECS form, it is "difficult to believe" that the account lacked funds. This case is related to Chhaya Sharma, a resident of Karawal Nagar, who has a savings account at SBI's Karawal Nagar branch. The complainant had challenged a 2021 order from the District Consumer Forum, which had dismissed her complaint.
She complained that she had taken a car loan of Rs 2.6 lakh from HDFC Bank, which had 48 monthly installments of around Rs 7,000. Her allegation was that despite having sufficient funds in her account, 11 of her EMIs were rejected, and she was charged Rs 4,400 in bounce charges.