Allahabad High Court
SHIV KUMAR SINGHversusSTATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND 4 OTHERS
- Decided
Holding
The Court refused to grant mandamus and directed the petitioner to apply to the bank, which must decide the de‑freezing request within two weeks.
Summary
Shiv Kumar Singh filed a writ petition under Article 226 seeking a mandamus directing the State Bank of India to de‑freeze his account (No. 20239675247) which had been frozen following a complaint from an investigating agency about doubtful transactions. The bank contended that the freeze was justified on the basis of that complaint. The High Court declined to issue a mandamus and instead directed the petitioner to formally apply to the bank for de‑freezing, requiring the bank to decide the request within two weeks of receiving a certified copy of the order, in line with the precedent set in Ashish Rawat v. Union of India. The petition was therefore disposed without granting the relief sought.
Issues considered
- Whether a writ court can issue a mandamus directing a bank to de‑freeze an account frozen on suspicion of doubtful transactions under Article 226.
Subjects
- Article 226
- mandamus
- account freeze
- banking
- investigating agency
- de‑freezing
- high court
- procedural direction
Judgment
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
WRIT - C No. - 37498 of 2026
Shiv Kumar Singh
.....Petitioner(s)
Versus
State Of Uttar Pradesh And 4 Others
.....Respondent(s)
Counsel for Petitioner(s) : Savant Singh, Vinay Kumar Singh
Singraur
Counsel for Respondent(s) : C.S.C., Pankaj Kumar Ojha, Satish
Chaturvedi
Court No. - 1
HON'BLE AJIT KUMAR, J.
HON'BLE SIDDHARTH NANDAN, J.
1. Heard learned counsel for the parties.
2. By means of this petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution,
petitioner has prayed for a direction in the nature of mandamus to command
the respondent concerned to de-freeze the account of the petitioner being
No.- 20239675247 maintained with State Bank of India.
3. Learned counsel for the respondent-Bank submits that the account has
been freezed primarily on a complaint received from the Investigating
Agency for there being doubtful transactions in his account.
4. In view of the above, the present writ petition is disposed of with a
direction to the petitioner to apply before the concerned respondent for de-
freezing of the account and if he does so, the concerned respondent shall
decide the same within a further period of two weeks from the date of receipt
of a certified copy of this order, in the light of the judgment of this Court in
Ashish Rawat v. Union of India and 6 others, passed in Writ-C No. 1489 of
2026, decided on 08.04.2026.
(Siddharth Nandan,J.) (Ajit Kumar,J.)
September 18, 2026
A.K.Srivastava
Digitally signed by :-
ARUN KUMAR SRIVASTAVA
High Court of Judicature at Allahabad
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