Should public know account balance of rich individuals, banks ask Supreme Court

印度银行问最高法院：公众是否有权了解富人的账户余额

NEW DELHI: Are citizen entitled to information about bank balances and borrowings by Tatas, Ambanis and Birlas under the RTI Act, the banks asked on Monday while arguing before the Supreme Court that its judgment opening up confidential banking information through RTI would lay bare future business plans for which industrial houses seek credit lines.

新德里：印度国家银行和HDFC银行周一在最高法院面前辩称，其通过RTI公开银行机密信息的判决，将暴露工业企业未来寻求贷款的商业计划，并问最高法院，公民是否有权根据RTI法案获得塔塔、安巴尼和伯拉斯的银行余额和借款信息。

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for two large banks State Bank of India and HDFC Bank respectively, told a bench of Justices S Abdul Nazir and Krishna Murari that banking operations and the financial transactions, including the details of individual accounts, are held in confidence by the banks and that the SC judgment would seriously jeopardise the confidential clauses applicable to the banking operations under various statutes.

副检察长图沙尔·梅赫塔和高级律师穆库尔·罗哈吉分别代表印度国家银行（SBI）和HDFC银行出庭，他们告诉法官阿卜杜勒·纳齐尔和克里希纳·穆拉里，银行业务和金融交易，包括个人账户的细节，是由银行保密的，而最高法院的判决将严重危及适用于各种法规下的银行业务的保密条款。

On April 29 this year, a bench headed by Justice L N Rao had dismissed applications by major banks, including SBI and HDFC, for recalling the SC's six-year-old judgment directing the banking regulator RBI to provide information under RTI about functioning of banks under the Act.

今年4月29日，以L N Rao法官为首的法官驳回了包括SBI和HDFC在内的主要银行的申请，这些银行申请撤销最高法院6年前的判决，该判决指示银行监管机构RBI根据RTI提供关于银行运作的信息。

Mehta said, "How can the bank breach the trust and faith of the account holder just because a RTI activist desires to know what another person's bank balance is, or what credit lines he has sought for his business empire for a confidential future venture? No one is against transparency in banking operations. But, why should the banks, mandated by statute to maintain confidentiality, reveal information in breach of account holders' trust and reveal future business plans to rivals, who could get the information by employing an RTI activist's services?"

梅赫塔说:“仅仅因为一个RTI激进分子想知道另一个人的银行余额是多少，或者他为自己的商业帝国寻求多少贷款，银行怎么能辜负账户持有人的信任呢?没有人反对银行业务的透明度。但是，根据法律规定，银行必须保密，为什么要泄露信息，辜负账户持有人的信任，向竞争对手泄露未来的商业计划?竞争对手可以通过雇佣RTI维*人士服务获得这些信息。”

Rohatgi said that "We know how and who would use the RTI to seek information about business rivals. If the banks reveal to which sector loans are being given, then there will be no commercial confidentiality for any future project envisioned by an industrial house. A nine-judge bench of the SC has ruled that individual privacy is a part of right to life. Should account holders in banks not enjoy privacy about their bank accounts?"

罗哈吉说:“我们知道谁会利用RTI来搜集商业竞争对手的信息。如果银行披露向谁提供了贷款，那么工业企业未来计划的任何项目都不会有商业机密。最高法院的9名法官已经裁定，个人隐私是生命权的一部分。银行账户持有人不能享有自己银行账户的隐私吗?”

以下是印度时报读者的评论：译者：Jessica.Wu

Sachin Guest

Banks should provide details to agencies like ED/IT NOT to general public! General public have rights to know if there is any discrepancies which can be disclosed by agencies. I firmly believe courts should not interfere in administration decisions otherwise these judges will become like pseudo drs!

银行应该向ED/IT等机构提供详细信息，而不是向公众

公众有权知道各机构披露的是否存在差异。我坚信法院不应该干涉行政决策

Thanos

It’s none of my business to know how much money other person has in their bank account. It’s personal information and should remain as such. Even if the public knows there isn’t anything we can do about it, it’ll only end up hel bad elements of society to narrow down their target for ransom. If there is any fraud, anamoly then that’s responsibility of the income tax deparment and auditors.

别人银行账户里有多少钱不关我的事。这是个人信息，应该保密。即使公众知道也无能为力，最终也只会帮助社会上的坏人缩小勒索目标范围。如果有任何欺诈、反常，那是所得税部门和审计人员的责任。

AllFloss

As time passes, the masses seems to be more fanatic on every issue that comes to light.

随着时间的推移，大众似乎对每一个浮出水面的问题都更加狂热。

Prakash Saldanha

We expect Swiss banks to disclose the details but not our own banks.

我们希望瑞士银行披露细节，而不是我们国内的银行。

Pratik T

Supreme court judges should lead by example.

All supreme court and high court judge account balance should be transparent.

最高法院的法官应该以身作则。所有最高法院和高等法院法官的账户余额应该保持透明。

A A

My Lords such a decision would only further create disinterest in investment in the country. There has to be some limit to transparency. Companies make investment and borrowing plans aligned to their strategy. Disclosing this info could jeopardize their plans and competitive play!

这样的决定只会进一步削弱人们对投资印度的兴趣。透明度必须有一个度。公司制定与其战略相一致的投资和借贷计划，泄露这些信息可能会危及他们的计划和竞争力!

G N

The power to get the details should rest with ED/IT dept. and not general public. If public get access to such confidential matters, it would be anarchy.

获取银行账户信息的权力应该属于ED/IT部门，而不是一般公众。如果公众能接触到这样的机密信息，那将是无政府状态。

Pavan Gupta

India is one of the few socialist countries left who hate financial success. Making money has been a crime under the Nehru/Gandhi Congress.

印度是少数憎恨富人的国家之一。在甘地家族的国大党统治下，赚钱是犯罪。

Paramjit Singh

All absurd. It is confidential thing. Can a judge’s account then be published through RTI ? No never.

荒谬。这是机密，法官的账户余额能公布吗？绝对不会。

Prabir Chaudhuri

If money has been acquired by dubious means, the public has a right to know. That includes fraudulent loans, tax evasions etc.

如果资金是通过不正当手段获得的，公众有权知道，包括欺诈性贷款、逃税等。

Preeti Joshi

Bank balance of politicians

披露政客的银行余额

Shloka Bhatt

This is plain stupid...why would public needs to know that? Its against right to privacy...until anyone has not anything wrong no one has the right to know their personal financial information

太愚蠢了…为什么公众需要知道这些?

这侵犯了隐私权…

在一个人没有犯错的情况下，任何人都没有权利知道他们的个人财务信息

Hi 5 CDC

What a ridiculous question. The details of organisation are available online as there is enough transparency build. Rich person should have same right to protect his information as an ordinary person does.

这是个荒谬的问题。组织机构的信息可以在网上找到，因为有足够的透明度。

富人应该和普通人一样有权捍卫自己的隐私。

Natarajan D

Banks are right.

银行是对的。

Deepak Mahulkar

I am unable to understand the demand in de ocracy. One side we object to phone tap lest overstep in individual privacy and other side we want to know for no specific reason how much other saves in bank .

我无法理解敏煮国家的需求。一方面，我们反对电话窃听，以免侵犯个人隐私；

另一方面，我们想知道别人在银行里存了多少钱，但没有具体的理由。

Ak

Public has right to know from where money came and where it has been sent. Otherwise rich are coolly diverting bank funds and running away.

公众有权知道钱从哪来，要转到哪里去。除此之外，富人正在转移银行资金，然后跑路。

thoughtful indian

They need to know the bank balances of the judiciary too. that is a money making machine too.

他们还需要知道司法机构的银行余额，这也是一个赚钱的机器。

ronnie alberts

these uncivilized corrupt judges think they are the dicktators in this country.

这些不文明的腐败法官

Tsp Padmanabhan

First let these politicians give bank details to public. Start from sonia, raghul, priyanka, vadra, bjp leaders

首先，让印度政客向公众提供银行的详细信息，包括索尼娅、拉胡尔、普里扬卡、瓦德拉、人民党领导人

The Nationalist

If general public will get to know rich people account then this will be rise of co sm and destruction of de ocracy , and rich will flee , business will stop .

如果公众知道富人的账户，那么这将是对敏煮的破坏，富人将逃离，商业将停滞。