Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank Regional Manager in Ayodhya has asked staff to share his location daily at 8 am and 7 pm.
In the letter, the Regional Office stated that the officer had been instructed several times to provide the current station/residential address and not to leave the station without permission from the competent authority. However, according to the letter, these instructions were not followed. The bank also noted that the officer had mentioned in the KYE register that suitable accommodation was not available.
The Regional Office has now directed the officer to share their daily location at 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM with the Branch Manager or the HR Department of the Regional Office. The bank said this would help it contact the officer immediately in case of any urgent requirement or adverse situation.
The letter further warned that the instructions must be followed strictly and that any negligence or failure to comply with the directions would be viewed seriously.
This has raised an important question – Can Banks force employees to share their location? What about privacy and fundamental rights?
The Supreme Court has recognised privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21. In K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, the Court held that restrictions on privacy must satisfy requirements including legality, legitimate purpose and proportionality.
The Court has also specifically recognised that information about a person’s movements and location can raise serious privacy concerns.
In fact, in 2024, the Supreme Court held that requiring a person on bail to share Google Maps location in a manner that enabled authorities to track their movements would violate the right to privacy under Article 21.
So, in this case – Why is twice-daily location sharing necessary? Why cannot the same objective be achieved through a residential/station address, telephone availability, attendance records or a requirement to inform the bank when leaving the station?
An organization generally cannot force employees to share their location constantly without clear legal backing, explicit consent, or a strong justification related to job duties.
