Kanpur Court Orders FIR Against SBI Bank Manager for Withholding Property Documents Despite Loan Repayment

A court in Kanpur has directed that a First Information Report (FIR) be registered against a bank branch manager after serious allegations were made by a local family. The complaint claims that the bank manager refused to return important property documents even though the housing loan was completely paid off. Not just that — the bank also did not return the extra money left in the account.

What is the Case About?

A man named Raghav, who lives in Armapur, Kanpur, shared that his elder brother Ramesh Kumar had taken a housing loan of ₹5 lakh from the State Bank of Patiala’s Sharda Nagar branch in 2004. In return for this loan, the family gave the property deed of their house located at plot number 18, Arazi number 67, village Bari Akbarpur Kachhar, Kalyanpur as security (mortgage).

What Happened After the Loan Was Taken from SBI?

Unfortunately, Ramesh Kumar passed away on 21 June 2005. He had a loan insurance of ₹5 lakh, which was later credited to his account. After this, the bank closed the loan account on 12 August 2008, assuming the loan had been settled.

But here’s the issue: Even after the loan was repaid (including through the insurance), ₹38,013 was still left in the account, and the bank did not return this amount. More importantly, the bank refused to return the property documents related to the house.

Ramesh’s wife, Jagpata Devi, wrote several letters and made many attempts to get the documents and money back from the bank. However, there was no proper response from the bank.

Due to the lack of action, she approached the High Court. The High Court ruled that the bank should hand over the documents once she submits a succession certificate (a legal document that proves the right to inherit).

Even after this court order, the bank did not return the documents or the remaining money. In 2017, the State Bank of Patiala merged with State Bank of India (SBI). Jagpata then filed a case in a civil court to officially be declared as Ramesh’s legal heir.

The court issued the succession certificate on 12 March 2024, confirming that Jagpata is legally entitled to the property and funds. Despite this, the bank manager, Anurag Bajpai, allegedly refused to help and even threatened the family when they requested the return of their money and documents.

After all these efforts, the family finally filed an application in the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court seeking legal action against the bank manager. The court took the matter seriously and has now ordered the registration of an FIR (First Information Report) against the manager for not following the rules and harassing the family.