Delhi Consumer Commission Orders Union Bank to Pay Rs 47 Lakh for Missing Jewellery from Bank Locker

The Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Union Bank of India to pay ₹47 lakh as compensation to a woman over the alleged misappropriation of jewellery kept in a bank locker. The Commission also ordered the bank to pay simple interest at 6% per annum from September 1, 2018, to October 27, 2026, provided the payment is made by December 27, 2026. The case, titled Monica Marwah v. Union Bank of India, concerned jewellery and other belongings that the woman claimed were missing from a joint locker maintained at the bank’s Naraina Vihar branch in Delhi.

The Commission, comprising President Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal and Member Bimla Kumari, found that the bank had failed to prove that the locker had been surrendered or that its contents had been returned to the complainant. The members observed that the bank had not produced any receipt confirming the return of the jewellery and other belongings when the locker was allegedly surrendered. The Commission concluded that the evidence did not support the bank’s claim that the woman had voluntarily closed the locker.

Monica Marwah and her father-in-law had maintained a joint locker at Union Bank of India’s Naraina Vihar branch since 1998. Her father-in-law, who operated the locker in 2005, died on August 29, 2010. On September 1, 2018, Marwah approached the bank to access the locker but was informed that it had already been surrendered on January 22, 2015.

Marwah disputed the bank’s statement and said that she had never requested the closure of the locker. She also stated that she had not received any communication from the bank regarding the alleged surrender or the subsequent allotment of the locker to another customer. She claimed that jewellery worth approximately ₹47 lakh was missing and sought compensation from the bank.

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Union Bank of India denied the allegations and presented a different version of events. The bank claimed that the locker had been surrendered on May 21, 2005. It argued that only empty lockers were accepted when customers surrendered them, and therefore, there was no possibility of jewellery being misappropriated. The bank also admitted that locker rent continued to be deducted from the complainant’s account but described the deductions as a genuine mistake and offered to refund the charges.

However, the Commission found inconsistencies in the bank’s records. It noted that locker rent continued to be charged even after the alleged surrender, including a deduction made on September 25, 2018. The Commission observed that even if the continued deductions were a genuine mistake, the bank had still failed to produce a receipt confirming the surrender of the locker.

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The Commission also pointed out that the bank had not provided any letter or other communication from Marwah requesting the closure of the locker. In addition, it had failed to produce any acknowledgement or receipt showing that the jewellery and other belongings had been returned to her at the time of the alleged surrender.

After examining the available records and the arguments presented by both sides, the Commission rejected the bank’s defence. It held that the bank had failed to establish that Marwah had surrendered the locker or received its contents back. The Commission consequently directed Union Bank of India to pay ₹47 lakh along with simple interest at 6% per annum for the specified period.

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The bank has been directed to complete the payment by December 27, 2026, to qualify for the interest period specified in the order.

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