Banking Regulation, NPAs and Financial Inclusion
5 mentions in the news, newest first.
Read the note on this topic →- 2026-10-03
Supreme Court invalidates IFCI's SARFAESI auction of Ooty resort over rule breaches
The Supreme Court on 30 September 2026 set aside a Madras High Court judgment and invalidated IFCI Limited's SARFAESI auction of Sterling Holiday Resorts' Fernhill property in Ooty, holding that the sanctity courts give to confirmed auction sales presupposes compliance with the law and cannot protect a sale conducted in breach of mandatory procedure. A Bench of Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Alok Aradhe found that IFCI had received a bid while a Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal restraint order was in force, concluded the sale before the mandatory 30 day redemption notice period under the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002 had run out, and issued the sale certificate to a partnership firm that did not exist on the date fixed for the auction. The Court allowed the borrower's appeals and dismissed the purchaser's, ruling that no sanctity in law attaches to an auction conducted in such defiance of the SARFAESI Act's safeguards.
- 2026-10-02
Supreme Court orders curbs on licence renewal and vehicle registration for unpaid traffic fines
The Supreme Court, in a 28 September 2026 order made public on 1 October, directed States and Union Territories to block registration renewal, fitness and pollution certificates, ownership transfer and driving licence renewal for vehicles with unpaid traffic e-challans. The Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan was told that e-challans worth about Rs 49,194 crore remained outstanding nationally, against Rs 26,175 crore recovered so far. The directions, issued in a road safety case the court has monitored since 2012, also require States to implement the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' October 2025 standard operating procedure for electronic enforcement through CCTV and speed cameras, backed by a public compliance dashboard.
- 2026-09-27
Centre notifies Deendayal, JNPA, Paradip and Mundra as India's first mega ports
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways notified the ports of Deendayal at Kandla, Jawaharlal Nehru Port at Nhava Sheva, Paradip and the Adani Group operated Mundra Port as mega ports, after they met criteria notified under Section 73 of the Indian Ports Act, 2025. Of these, Deendayal, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Paradip are among India's 12 major ports, while Mundra is a non-major port that also satisfied the mega port criteria. India has 12 major ports in total, including Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata, along with more than 200 non-major ports.
- 2026-09-14
RBI rejects Tata Sons' plea to remain an unlisted private company
The Reserve Bank of India has rejected an application by Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, seeking exemption from the mandatory stock exchange listing that applies to non banking financial companies classified in the Upper Layer under RBI's scale based regulatory framework. Tata Sons was placed in the Upper Layer category in September 2022, which required listing within three years, a deadline that lapsed in September 2025 without a listing taking place. In a communication dated 11 September 2026, the central bank asked Tata Sons to take steps to ensure full compliance with the applicable guidelines, effectively making a public listing of the conglomerate's holding company unavoidable.
- 2026-09-03
India Post Payments Bank marks 9th Foundation Day, launches DakPay Sound Box
India Post Payments Bank marked its ninth Foundation Day on 1 September 2026 by launching the DakPay Sound Box, an audio confirmation device that lets merchants verify digital payments as they are received. The bank also introduced a Digital Insurance Technology Platform connecting customers to life, health and general insurance products, and a Digital Mutual Fund Platform for making investments digitally. IPPB, set up as a payments bank under the Department of Posts and launched on 1 September 2018, said it now serves about 13.25 crore customers across India, of whom 77 percent are in rural areas and 49 percent are women. The launches extend the postal network's role in delivering banking, insurance and investment services to underserved areas.