1 2025:CGHC:37319 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR REVP No. 177 of 2025 1 - Reserve Bank Of India Through Governor, Reserve Bank Of India, 4th Floor, Amar Building, Sir P.M. Road Mumbai- 400 001 (Maharashtra) 2 - Banking Ombudsman, Reserve Bank Of India, Regional Office Raipur, Subhashish Parisar Satya Prem Vihar, Mahadev Ghat Road, Sunder Nagar, District Raipur (Chhattisgarh) ... Petitioners versus 1 - Omprakash Koshima S/o Shri Sukhnandan Singh Koshima, Aged About 42 Years Presenty Posted As Lecturer In Government Ayurved Medical College, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) R/o Type- Ii, B.S.N.L. Colony, Rajkishore Nagar, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) 2 - Rajkumar Koushal S/o Shri Shyamsingh Koushal, Aged About 39 Years Presently Posted As Ayurveda Medical Officer In Government Ayurvedic Dispensary Badekanera Charama, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) R/o Bhuigaon, Post- Khartha, Tehsil Charama, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) 3 - Shyama Thakur W/o Shri Bedram Thakur, Aged About 34 Years Presently Posted As Teacher At Government Primary School, Bhanpuri, Village- Junwani, Charama, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) R/o Ward No. 15, Junwani, Charama, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) 4 - Bhagirathi Gawde S/o Shri Bisnath Gawde, Aged About 47 Years Presently Posted As Constable At Bijapur, Mithul, Kilepar, Haradula, Charama, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) R/o Ward No. 2, Kilepar, Haradula, Charama, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) YOGESH TIWARI Digitally signed by YOGESH TIWARI Date: 2025.08.04 18:58:31 +0530 2 5 - Bhupendra Marapi S/o Late N.R. Marapi, Aged About 28 Years Presently Posted As Ayurveda Medical Officer On Government Ayurvedic Medical Officer On Government Ayurvedic Dispensary Badakanera, Kondagaon, R/o Village Nirachhindali, P.O. Singanpur, The Keshkel, District Kondagaon (Chhattisgarh) 6 - Omprakash Ratre S/o Shri Kanhai Ratre, Aged About 41 Years Presently Posted As Teacher In Government Middle School, Chinouri, Block Charama, Kanker District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) R/o Ward No. 1, Nakapara Charama, Tehsil Charama, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) 7 - Dharmendra Kumar Banjare S/o Late Shri Rikhiram Banjare, Aged About 45 Years Presently Posted As Formen, Cseml, Siltara, District Raipur (Chhattisgarh) R/o House No. K-42, Classic City, Tekari Road, Parsulidih, District Raipur (Chhattisgarh) 8 - Hari Lal Poya S/o Shri Jarha Ram Poya, Aged About 37 Years Presently Posted As Lecturer At Government Ayurved College, Bilaspur, R/o Om Nivas, Nearby Gayatri Pragya Peeth, Chatidih, Sarkanda, Bilaspur, District Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) 9 - Union Of India, Through Department Of Financial Services Ministry Of Finance, 3rd Floor, Jeevan Deep Building, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110001 10 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through Director, Directorate Of Institutional Finance, Finance Department, Government Of Chhattisgarh, Indravati Bhawan, Naya Raipur (Chhattisgarh) 11 - Cholamandalam Investment And Finance Company Limited (Cifcl), Having Corporate Office At Chola Crest, C54-55 And Super B-4, Thiru- Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600032 12 - Finnable Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Having Registered Office At Indoqube Lakeside 4th Floor, Municipal No. 80/2 Wing A, Bellandur Village, Varthur Hobli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560103 13 - Aditya Birla Capital Limited, Having Corporate Office At 18th Floor, Tower 1, One World Centre Jupiter Mill Compound, 841, Senapati, Bapat Marg, Elphinstone Road, Mumbai-400013 3 14 - Axis Bank Limited, Having Its Registered Office At Trishul, Opposite Samartheshwan Temple, Ellis Bridge, Ahmedabad- 380006 15 - Piramal Capital And Housing Finance Limited, Having Its Registered Office At 601, 6th Floor, Amiti Building, Agastya Corporate Park, Kamani Junction, Opp. Fire Station, Lbs Marg, Kurla (W) Mumbai 16 - Yes Bank Limited, Having Its Head Office At Yes Bank Tower, I.F.C. 02, 23rd Floor, Senapati Bopat Marg, Elpinestone, (W), Mumbai 400013 17 - Bank Of Baroda, Having Registered Office At Baroda House, Mandvi, Baroda 390001. 18 - Icici Bank Limited, Having Its Registered Office At Icici Bank Tower, Near Chakli Circle, Old Padra Road, Vadodara 390007, Gujarat 19 - Paysense Services India Private Limited, Having Registered Office At Empressa Building, Fourth Floor, Second Road, Khar West, Mumbai- 400052, Maharashtra 20 - State Bank Of India, Having Registered Office At Corporate Centre, State Bank Bhavan, Madame Cama Road, Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400021 21 - Collector, District Raipur (Chhattisgarh) 22 - Collector, District Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) 23 - Collector, District Mahasamund (Chhattisgarh) 24 - Collector, District Kanker (Chhattisgarh) 25 - Collector, District Surguja (Chhattisgarh) 26 - Collector, District Gaurela Pendra Marwahi (Chhattisgarh) 27 - Collector, District Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki (Chhattisgarh) 28 - Collector, District Durg (Chhattisgarh) 29 - Collector, District Sukma (Chhattisgarh) 30 - Spash Advisor Private Limited, Through Its Proprietor Manoj Kumar Pradhan, Having Registered Office At Office No. F F, 1st Floor, D M Plaza, Naighar Chowk, Chhota Para, Raipur (Chhattisgarh) 31 - Spash Advisor Private Limited, Through Its Proprietor Manoj Kumar Pradhan, Having Branch Office At Behind Vishundhara City Mall, Near Tulsi Chowk, Gangapur, Ambikapur, Surguja (Chhattisgarh) 497001 ... Respondents 4 (Cause-title taken from Case Information System) For Petitioners : Mr. P.R. Patankar, Advocate For Respondents No.1 to 8 : Mr. Dhiraj Kumar Wankhede with Mr. Aniruddh Singh, Advocate For Respondent-UOI : Mr. Tushar Dhar Diwan, Central Govt. Counsel For Respondent-State : Mr. Ankur Kashyap, Dy. Govt. Advocate For Respondent-Bank of Baroda : Mr. Vinod Deshmukh, Advocate For Respective Respondent : Mr. Aman Saxena, Advocate Hon’ble Shri Amitendra Kishore Prasad, Judge Order on Board 30.07.2025 1. This review petition has been filed by the review petitioners with the following prayers:- “It is, therefore, most humbly and respectfully prayed that the Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to review the order dated 09.05.2025 (Annexure-P/1) passed by the Hon'ble Court in W.P. (C) No.2520/2025 and further be pleased to recall the order directing the applicant Ombudsman to pass appropriate orders on the applications filed by the Petitioners in WPC No. 2520/2025 (Respondent Nos. 1 to 8 herein) for interim relief and this Hon'ble Court may also be pleased to kindly consider directing that the 5 interim relief which was granted by this Hon'ble court may be extended till the disposal of the complaints by the Applicant Ombudsman, in the larger interest of justice.” 2. Learned counsel for the review petitioners / respondents in the writ petition respectfully submits the review petitioners, who are officials discharging statutory duties under the Reserve Bank of India’s regulatory framework, have challenged the order dated 09.05.2025 passed in W.P.(C) No. 2520 of 2025, primarily on the ground that the said order was passed without issuing notice or hearing the present review petitioners, and without affording them an opportunity to assist the Court on the legal and factual position regarding the powers and functions vested in the Ombudsman under the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021. 3. It is most respectfully submitted that under Clause 8 of the aforementioned Scheme, the Ombudsman does not have any statutory authority or jurisdiction to entertain or grant interim relief in any form, including orders of stay, restraint, or protection, as has been envisaged in paragraph 7 of the impugned order. Pursuant to the directions contained in the order dated 09.05.2025, the original petitioners have already filed separate complaints before the Ombudsman on 27.05.2025, along with applications seeking interim relief/stay against coercive action by the concerned Banks. However, upon receipt and scrutiny of these applications, the office of the Ombudsman, after taking legal opinion and following consultations with higher authorities in the 6 Reserve Bank of India, has arrived at the considered view that the direction to consider and grant interim relief is beyond the scope of powers conferred upon the Ombudsman under the governing Scheme. It is submitted that the review petitioners have the highest regard for the directions issued; however, they are duty- bound to act strictly in accordance with the statutory mandate of the Scheme under which they operated. In view of the legal embargo on granting interim relief, the review petitioners are placed in a situation of administrative and legal conflict, and therefore, seek indulgence of this Court to review or modify the directions issued in the order dated 09.05.2025 to the extent that they required the Ombudsman to consider and decide applications for interim relief. It is further submitted that to ensure that the original petitioners are not left remediless, the Court may kindly consider extending the interim protection already granted restraining the Banks from taking coercive steps against the petitioners until the Ombudsman disposes of the complaints on merits, in accordance with law. 4. Learned counsel appearing for the respective respondents have no objection to the submissions made by the review petitioners. 5. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record. 7 6. Perusal of the record would show that vide order dated 09.05.2025, this Court had passed the order in WPC No.2520/2025 to the following effect :- “6. Considering the matter in its entirety, this Court is of the opinion that since the remedy available to the petitioners to file appropriate applications before the Banking Ombudsman, at this stage, it would be appropriate that a direction be given to the petitioners to pursue their remedy before the Banking Ombudsman and the concerned Banking Ombudsman, who has received the copies of the complaints on 16.04.2025 is directed to consider the case of the petitioners and to pass appropriate orders while considering the matter on merits in accordance with law. 7. In that view of the matter, the petitioners are directed to file appropriate applications for grant of interim relief before Respondent No.4 i.e. Banking Ombudsman Reserve Bank of India, Regional Office, Raipur, Subhashish Parisar, Satya Prem Vihar, Mahadev Ghat Road, Sunder Nagar, District Raipur (C.G.), within a period of 15 days and in turn the Banking Ombudsman concerned is directed to consider the said applications and to pass appropriate orders in accordance with law within a period of 30 days from the date of filing of the applications by the petitioners. 8. Till the applications for interim relief are decided by the Banking Ombudsman, the 8 Banking authorities are directed not to take any coercive steps against the petitioners. 9. With the aforesaid observation/direction, instant petition stands disposed rights and contentions of the parties are left open.” 7. Having considered the submissions advanced by the learned counsel for the review petitioners and upon perusal of the record, this Court is of the considered opinion that the prayer made in the instant review petition is just, fair, and grounded in statutory limitations imposed under the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, particularly with regard to the lack of power vested in the Ombudsman to grant interim relief. 8. Accordingly, the instant review petition is allowed to the extent that the direction issued in paragraph 7 of the order dated 09.05.2025, whereby the Ombudsman was directed to consider and decide the applications for grant of interim relief filed by the original petitioners, stands recalled. 9. However, in order to safeguard the interests of the petitioners in the writ petition and to prevent any irreparable harm pending adjudication of their complaints before the Ombudsman, it is directed that the interim protection granted vide order dated 09.05.2025 restraining the Banking Authorities from taking coercive steps against the petitioners shall remain in force until the final decision is rendered by the Ombudsman on the 9 complaints filed by the petitioners, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. 10. It is clarified that the Ombudsman shall proceed to decide the complaints on their own merits strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, uninfluenced by any observation made in the earlier order dated 09.05.2025 or in the present order. 11. With the aforesaid observations / directions, instant review petition stands allowed to the extent indicated herein-above. There shall be no order as to costs. Sd/- (Amitendra Kishore Prasad) Judge Gopal / Yogesh