$~18 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 6704/2026 JATINDER KAUR ....Petitioner Through: Mr Ishan Gaur, Mr Nikhil Kohli and Mr Kushank Garg, Advs. versus PUNJAB AND SINDH BANK THROUGH CHAIRMAN & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. S.A. Khan and Mr. Shadab Khan Advs. for R1-3 CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JASMEET SINGH O R D E R % 02.07.2026 CM APPL. 40116/2026 1. This is an application filed under Section 151 of CPC, 1908 seeking the following prayers:- “a) Direct Respondent Nos. 1 to 3 to forthwith de-freeze/unfreeze the Petitioner's Savings Account No. 08981000001998 maintained with Punjab and Sind Bank, Malviya Nagar Branch, New Delhi; In the alternative, direct Respondent Nos. 1 to 3 to forthwith transfer the balance amount lying in the Petitioner's Savings Account No. 08981000001998 to such other bank account of the Petitioner as may be specified by her and permit closure of the said account. ...” 2. For the reasons stated in the application, issue notice. 3. Mr. Khan, learned counsel accepts notice on behalf of the respondent No. 1, 2 and 3. 4. There is nobody appearing on behalf of the respondent No. 4, however, This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 09/07/2026 at 11:03:46 in view of urgency the matter is being taken up for hearing. 5. Since the prayers in the interim application are inextricably linked to the main petition, the main petition is taken up for hearing. W.P.(C) 6704/2026 6. In the present case, the petitioner is a senior citizen aged about 68 years and has been maintaining a savings bank account bearing No. 08981000001998 with respondent No.1 bank namely, Punjab & Sind Bank for over 25 years. 7. The grievance of the petitioner is that in the month of April, 2026 the petitioner’s account was frozen by the respondent No. 1 bank. Thereafter, the petitioner addressed multiple communications to the concerned authorities seeking relief. 8. To the said communications, the respondent No. 1 bank responded by citing a threshold breach as per RBI KYC/AML/CFT guidelines. The petitioner submitted a detailed reply to the said communication by the respondent No. 1 bank and again requested for urgent relief. The respondent No. 1 bank on 04.05.2026 informed the petitioner that the account has been frozen due to non-submission of documents for “enhanced due diligence” and requested for submission of the same. Hence the present petition. 9. Mr. Khan, learned counsel for the respondent Nos. 1 to 3, has handed over the counter affidavit, which is taken on record and further draws my attention to relevant portion, which reads as under:- “It is further pertinent to mention here that during the operation of the aforesaid saving Bank account it was found that certain high value transactions (debit/ credit) done by the petitioner to the tune more than Rs. 3.5 Crores, as shown in the statement of account and This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 09/07/2026 at 11:03:46 also amount of Rs. 3,14,21,855/- was credited on 10.03.2026, whereas the thresh hold limit of her saving account is Rs. 5.00 lakhs, which was increased upto 150% in high risk account. The continuous high value transactions reflected in the account during the last financial year amounting to more than Rs. 3.5 crores appeared inconsistent with the customer profile available in the bank records and warranted enhanced due digligence/compliance review in terms of the applicable KYC/AML framework and bank SOP. The continuous entries of high value transaction on different dates in the last financial year, which amounts to more than Rs. 3.5 Crores makes the account continuously at High Risk Category due to high value transactions. Thereafter last transaction of Rs. 10.00 lakhs was done in April, 2026 and the petitioner’s account got freezed automatically by the system.” 10. He further relies on Circular/SoP dated 12.02.2026 titled “Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to field functionaries on strengthening due diligence and controls to prevent cyber-enabled frauds and money mule accounts” to substantiate the action taken by the respondent No. 1 bank. The operative portion of circular/SoP reads as under:- “Cyber Crime Hotspots in India Mewat – Haryana Jamtara -Bihar Jharkhand Jammu Kashmir North Eastern States Rajasthan West Bengal & Kolkata This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 09/07/2026 at 11:03:46 Odisha Assam Punjab Delhi NCR Gujarat Uttar Pradesh. … 1.4 Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) for High-Risk Accounts  Verify Source of Funds: For transactions that seem unusual, ensure to verify the source of funds by requesting documentation or further information from the customer.  In-Depth Customer Profile: Perform enhanced due diligence on customers identified as high-risk by gathering additional information, such as their business details, transaction history, and the reason for large transactions.  Ensure Full Compliance: Transactions should not be completed until the required information is verified, especially in cases involving high-risk customers or jurisdictions.” 11. On my specific query to Mr. Gaur, learned counsel for the petitioner, he states that the amount of Rs. 3.14 crores was received by the petitioner from NBCC towards refund of earnest money deposit and the amount of Rs. 10 lakhs was a return of a loan given by the petitioner from the same account. 12. Hence to my mind, the petitioner has duly and satisfactorily explained the two transactions mentioned in the counter affidavit as the reason for This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 09/07/2026 at 11:03:46 freezing the account of the petitioner. 13. As regards the other high value transactions are concerned, the respondent No. 1 is a bank and a custodian of the funds of the petitioner. In case there are any illegal/unauthorized transactions conducted by the petitioner, the law enforcement agencies are the competent and relevant authorities to take actions against the petitioner in accordance with the law and not the respondent bank. 14. For the said reasons, the account of the petitioner bearing account No. 08981000001998 shall be de-freezed immediately. 15. The writ petition is allowed and disposed of in the aforesaid terms. JASMEET SINGH, J JULY 2, 2026/AS This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 09/07/2026 at 11:03:46