“(a) For a Writ of Mandamus or a Writ, order or direction in the nature of Mandamus directing the Reserve Bank of India, the Respondent No.1 herein to issue appropriate instructions or guidelines to the Banks in India to make visible the account details of the trusts, associations and societies to all the members of such bodies.

(b) For a declaration that all Banking Institutions are obliged to provide account details of trusts, association and societies to all the members of such bodies.”

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2 pil-138.13

As far as Societies are concerned, the same will be governed by the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960 or any local law applicable in the other States. A Trust will be governed by the Societies Registration Act, 1869 or the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950 or both.

In a given case, the Trust may have hundreds of members and a society may have hundreds of members. The same may be the case with a registered Association. If the members need any information regarding the entries in the Bank Account of the Trust or the Society or Association, they can always approach the concerned officers bearers and/or Trustees. If in law, the members are entitled to disclosure of information and the office bearers/Trustees refuse to disclose the information, the concerned members can always take recourse to the remedies available. Issuing a writ as prayed for will have drastic consequences. In case of one Bank account, hundreds of members will keep on approaching the Banks for disclosing the entries in the Bank Account of the Trust or the Society or Association, as the case may be. We fail to understand how such directions will operate in public interest. We, therefore, decline to entertain this Petition and the same is accordingly rejected.

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Mr. Ravi Shankar Natesh v. Reserve Bank of India, through Chief General Manager and Anr.

Case brief