The Banking Regulation Act,1949
Section 24. Maintenance of a percentage of assets
(1) After the expiry of two years from the commencement of this Act, every banking company shall maintain 1[in India] in cash, gold or unencumbered approved securities, valued at a price not exceeding the current market price, an amount which shall not at the close of business on any day be less than 20 percent of the total of its 2[demand and time liabilities] 3[in India].
4[Explanation For the purposes of this section, “unencumbered approved securities” of a banking company shall include its approved securities lodged with another institution for an advance or any other credit arrangement to the extent to which such securities have not been drawn against or availed of.]
5[(2) In computing the amount for the purposes of sub-section (1), the deposit required under sub-section (2) of section 11 to be made with the Reserve Bank by a banking company incorporated outside India and any balances maintained in India by a banking company in current account with the Reserve Bank or the State Bank of India or with any other bank which may be notified in this behalf by the Central Government, including in the case of a scheduled bank the balance required under section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act,1934 (2 of 1934) to be so maintained, shall be deemed to be cash maintained in India.]
6[(2A)(a) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) or in sub-section (2), after the expiry of two years from the commencement of the Banking Companies (Amendment) Act,1962 (36 of 1962),
(i) a scheduled bank, in addition to the average daily balance which it is, or may be, required to maintain under section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act,1934 (2 of 1934), and
(ii) every other banking company, in addition to the cash reserve which it is required to maintain under section 18,
7[shall maintain in India,
(A) in cash, or
(B) in gold valued at a price not exceeding the current market price or in unencumbered approved securities valued at a price determined in accordance with such one or more of, or combination of, the following methods of valuation, namely, valuation with reference to cost price, market price, book value or face value, as may be specified by the Reserve Bank from time to time,
an amount which shall not, at the close of business on any day, be less than twenty-five per cent or such other percentage not exceeding forty per cent, as the Reserve Bank may, from time to time, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, of the total of its demand and time liabilities in India, as on the last Friday of the second preceding fortnight;]
8[(b) in computing the amount for the purposes of clause (a),
(i) the deposit required under sub-section (2) of section 11 to be made with the Reserve Bank by a banking company incorporated outside India;
(ii) any cash or balances maintained in India by a banking company other than a scheduled bank with itself or with the Reserve Bank or by way of net balance in current account in excess of the aggregate of the cash or balance or net balance required to be maintained under section 18;
(iii) any balances maintained by a scheduled bank with the Reserve Bank in excess of the balance required to be maintained by it under section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act,1934 (2 of 1934);
(iv) the net balance in current accounts maintained in India by a scheduled bank;
(v) any balances maintained by a Regional Rural Bank in call or fixed deposit with its Sponsor Bank, shall be deemed to be cash maintained in India].
9[Explanation. For the purpose of clause (a) of this sub-section, the
market p rice of an approved security shall be the price as on the date of the issue of the notification or as on any earlier or later date as may be notified from time to time by the Reserve Bank in respect of any class or classes of securities.]
10[(2B) The Reserve Bank may, by notification in the Official Gazette, vary the percentage referred to in sub-section (2A) in respect of a Regional Rural Bank 11[***].]
12[(3) For the purpose of ensuring compliance with the provisions of this section, every banking company shall, not later than twenty days after the end of the month to which it relates, furnish to the Reserve Bank in the prescribed form and manner a monthly return showing particulars of its assets maintained in accordance with this section, and its demand and time liabilities in India at the close of business on each alternate Friday during the month, or if any such Friday is a public holiday, at the close of business on the preceding working day:
Provided that every Regional Rural Bank shall also furnish a copy of the said return to the National Bank.]
(4)(a) If on any alternate Friday or, if such Friday is a public holiday, on the preceding working day, the amount maintained by a banking company at the close of business on that day falls below the minimum prescribed by or under clause (a) of sub-section (2A) such banking company shall be liable to pay to the Reserve Bank in respect of that day’s default, penal interest for that day at the rate of three per cent per annum above the bank rate on the amount by which the amount actually maintained falls short of the prescribed minimum on that day; and
(b) If the default occurs again on the next succeeding alternate Friday, or, if such Friday is a public holiday, on the preceding working day, and continues on succeeding alternate Fridays or preceding working days, as the case may be, the rate of penal interest shall be increased to a rate of five per cent per annum above the bank rate on each such shortfall in respect of that alternate Friday and each succeeding alternate Friday or preceding working day, if such Friday is a public holiday, in which the default continues.
(5)(a) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (3), the Reserve Bank may require a banking company to furnish to it a return in the form and manner specified by it showing particulars of its assets maintained in accordance with this section and its demand and time liabilities in India, as at the close of business on each day of a month; and
(b) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (4), on the failure of a banking company to maintain as on any day, the amount so required to be maintained by or under clause (a) of sub-section (2A) the Reserve Bank may, in respect of such default, require the banking company to pay penal interest for that day as provided in clause (a) of sub-section (4) and if the default continues on the next succeeding working day, the penal interest may be increased as provided in clause (b) of sub-section (4) for the concerned days.
(6)(a) The penalty payable under sub-section (4) and sub-section (5) shall be paid within a period of fourteen days from the date on which a notice issued by the Reserve Bank demanding payment of the same is served on the banking company and in the event of failure of the banking company to pay the same within such period, the penalty may be levied by a direction of the principal civil court having jurisdiction in the area where an office of the defaulting banking company is situated, such direction to be made only upon an application made by the Reserve Bank in this behalf to the court; and
(b) When the court makes a direction under clause (a), it shall issue a certificate specifying the sum payable by the banking company and every such certificate shall be enforceable in the same manner as if it were a decree made by the court in a suit.
(7) When under the provisions of clause (b) of sub-section (4), penal interest at the increased rate of five per cent, above the bank rate has become payable by a banking company, if thereafter the amount required to be maintained on the next succeeding alternate Friday, or if such Friday is a public holiday, the next preceding working day, is still below the prescribed minimum, every director, manager or secretary of the banking company, who is knowingly and wilfully a party to the default, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees and with a further fine which may extend to five hundred rupees for each subsequent alternate Friday or the preceding working day, as the case may be, on which the default continues.
(8) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, if the Reserve Bank is satisfied, on an application in writing by the defaulting banking company, that the banking company had sufficient cause for its failure to comply with the provisions of clause (a) of sub-section (2A), the Reserve Bank may not demand the payment of the penal interest.
Explanation. In this section, the expression “public holiday” means a day which is a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act,1881 (26 of 1881)].
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1. Inserted by Act 33 of 1959, Section 15 w.e.f. 1-10-1959.
2. Subsituted by Act 1 of 1984, Section 26, for “time and demand liabilities” w.e.f. 29-3-1985.
3. Subsituted by Act 20 of 1950, Section 3, for “in the States” .
4. Subsituted by Act 33 of 1959, Section 15, for the former Explanation w.e.f. 1-10-1959.
5. Subsituted by Act 33 of 1959, Section 15, for sub-section (2) w.e.f. 1-10-1959.
6. Inserted by Act 36 of 1962, Section 6.
7. Subsituted by Act 1 of 1984, Section 26, for certain words and figures w.e.f. 29-3-1985.
8. Subsituted by Act 1 of 1984, Section 26, for clause (b) w.e.f. 29-9-1985.
9. Inserted by Act 1 of 1984 Section 26 w.e.f. 29-3-1985.
10. Inserted by Act 21 of 1976, Section 33 w.e.f. 26-9-1975.
11. Certain words omitted by Act I of 1984, Section 26 w.e.f. 29-3-1985.
12. Subsituted by Act 1 of 1984, Section 26, for sub-section (3) w.e.f. 29-3-1985.
