In Brief
A bank customer sued for recovery of jewellery allegedly stolen from his locker after the bank negligently broke it open without cause or notice, despite his rent being paid. The Supreme Court held that while disputes about locker contents require civil court adjudication with elaborate evidence, banks owe a separate duty of care as service providers to manage lockers properly. Breaking a locker without notice, cause, or prescribed procedures constitutes gross service deficiency. The Court awarded Rs 6 lakhs compensation, directed the RBI to issue comprehensive locker management regulations within six months, and laid down binding principles for bank locker operations including maintenance of registers, access records, and identity verification until such regulations are issued.
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