From Our Correspondent
TURA, Nov 21: Social activist Greneth M Sangma from South Garo Hills has lodged a formal complaint with the State Bank of India (SBI), alleging that people, who are not in possession of Aadhaar, are being unlawfully denied the opportunity to open bank accounts at its Baghmara branch.
In his complaint, Sangma highlighted multiple grievances raised by customers and backed his argument with a Supreme Court judgment that clarified Aadhaar is not mandatory for opening bank accounts.
“As per the Supreme Court’s judgment, citizens are not required to furnish their Aadhaar number for opening bank accounts if they are not availing government subsidies. Insisting on Aadhaar for account opening violates Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy. The Reserve Bank of India’s Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines also specify that banks can accept other officially valid documents (OVDs) such as passports, driving licenses, Voter Identity Cards, or NREGA job cards as identity and address proof,” he said.
He also emphasised that Meghalaya, being under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, exempts its citizens from mandatory Aadhaar requirements.
Urging SBI to address the issue promptly, he called for immediate steps to ensure that customers can open accounts without being compelled to provide Aadhaar.