BANK LOCKER CLAIM AFTER A DEATH
Request to open the locker of a person who has died and release its contents
To: The Branch Manager, __________, __________
Sir or Madam,
- 6. What I ask you to do.
(a) Mark the locker as that of a person who has died, and do not let anyone open it until this claim is decided.
(b) Tell me in writing the forms and papers you need from me and from the other legal heirs, and whether you will deal with the claim on the papers I name or ask for a court certificate.
(c) Fix a date and time to open the locker in the presence of your officers and of me, and tell me whom else I should bring.
(d) Make a written inventory of everything found in the locker at the opening, give me a signed copy, and tell me how and to whom the contents will be handed over.
(e) Tell me any rent due on the locker and any charge for opening it, with the rule on which you rely.
- 7. What I accept. I understand that a nominee is dealt with so that you are safely discharged, and that this does not by itself decide who owns the contents as against the other legal heirs. If anything is handed over to me and it is later found that someone else had a better right, I will account to that person for what I received.
- 8. If the claim is not settled. If you reject the claim or do not reply within 30 days, I will take the matter to the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman, and I am free to bring a consumer complaint before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Please acknowledge this letter and tell me the name and telephone number of the officer who will handle the claim.
ENCLOSURES
LEGAL BASIS
Punjab: A bank may deal with a locker after the hirer's death on the nomination recorded for it, and the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 contains the provisions on nomination for safety lockers. A nominee is dealt with so that the bank is discharged and does not by that fact alone become the owner of the contents as against the other heirs; the order in which a Hindu's heirs inherit is set by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, and other communities follow their own law. Where there is no nominee, the bank may ask for proof of heirship, an indemnity, or a succession certificate, which the District Judge grants under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The bank decides the claim through its branch manager and nodal officer, under its own policy for lockers of deceased hirers. A claimant who is not satisfied can complain to the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman or file a consumer complaint before the District Commission. A dispute among the heirs is decided by the civil court, and an appeal goes to the District Judge or to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Chandigarh: The same provisions apply to a bank in the Union Territory: nomination under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, inheritance under the personal law of the deceased, and a succession certificate granted by the District Judge, Chandigarh. The bank decides the claim through its branch manager and nodal officer. A claimant who is not satisfied can go to the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman or file a consumer complaint before the District Commission serving the Union Territory. A dispute among the heirs is decided by the civil court at Chandigarh, with an appeal to the District Judge, Chandigarh, or to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
PERSONAL DATA NOTICE
This notice is given under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
The purpose of collecting personal data in this Bank Locker Claim after a Death is to identify the person who died and the claimant, record the claim to the locker and its contents, and let the bank open the locker or say what more it needs.
If the matter does not proceed, the personal data will be retained for 90 days and then erased. If the matter proceeds, the record will be retained for the matter plus 12 months, except where a statute requires a longer named retention period.
Data minimisation: this document does not collect a full Aadhaar number, an Aadhaar-card copy, a password or bank credentials.
SIGNATURE