Now Reading: Banking records Bill lets police seek data without court approval
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Banking records Bill lets police seek data without court approval
Banking records Bill lets police seek data without court approval
The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, passed the Lok Sabha this week by voice vote without debate, National Herald India reports. Section 11 would allow a police officer of superintendent rank, or…
The Story in Brief
The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, passed the Lok Sabha this week by voice vote without debate, National Herald India reports. Section 11 would allow a police officer of superintendent rank, or another officer notified by the government, to compel banks to produce records without prior court approval.
The Bill updates rules for digital banking records, but National Herald India says it removes judicial oversight and lacks clear safeguards on notice, disclosure limits, secondary use and deletion. The report links the change to recent scrutiny of activists' and protesters' finances, including accounts connected to food payments at Jantar Mantar and labour organiser Satyam Verma's accounts in Uttar Pradesh.
The Indian Opinion
The loudest claims on both sides miss the central test. Modernising rules for cloud-based banking records is sensible, but treating privacy concerns as opposition to policing is lazy. Equally, examples of alleged targeting do not prove every investigation is political. The Bill should face close scrutiny on authorisation, scope and remedies. Will the final law require prompt judicial review and limit access to a named account and period?
Source: nationalheraldindia.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
