The High Court has directed Bangladesh Bank to ensure that four depositors of National Bank PLC can withdraw funds from their savings accounts, following allegations that the lender repeatedly refused to release their money without valid grounds.
An interim order was issued Monday by a High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Md. Ali Reza at Annex Court No. 29. The order came following the hearing of Writ Petition No. 13668/2026, titled Lucky Akter and Others v. Bangladesh and Others, which was listed at serial number 174 on the day's cause list.
Along with the interim directive, the court issued a rule asking the respondents why a direction should not be given to allow the petitioners to withdraw their legally deposited funds. The respondents include the Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh Bank and its relevant officials, and National Bank PLC.
Under the interim order, the central bank—represented by its Governor, General Manager, and the Directors of the Technology Risk and Digital Banking Supervision Department and the Customer Interest Protection Center (CIPC)—must take necessary regulatory actions based on the complaints. They are required to ensure that National Bank allows the four petitioners to draw their money. Supreme Court advocate Maruf-ul-Abed represented the petitioners and confirmed the order via a lawyer's certificate issued the same day.
All four petitioners hold savings accounts with National Bank. Lucky Akter maintains an account at the Mirzapur SME Krishi Branch in Tangail; Nasima Begum and Mst. Sathi Begum hold accounts at the Mirzapur Branch; and Md. Shamim Ahmed is an account holder at the Bhaluka Branch in Mymensingh. Shamim Ahmed also represents the other petitioners under a power of attorney dated September 20, 2026.
According to the writ petition, the issue arose on September 17 when the four customers visited their respective branches to encash checks. Branch officials refused to accept the checks or disburse the cash without providing any valid or satisfactory reason. Among them, Nasima Begum was denied withdrawal despite presenting a check for BDT 30,000.
The petition stated that the accounts are active, valid, and show sufficient credit balances. Despite repeated visits to the branches, the customers were denied their money without any legal order or written explanation. Having failed to get redress from the bank, they submitted written complaints via email to Bangladesh Bank’s CIPC and the Financial Integrity and Customer Services Department (FICSD), but received no resolution.
Describing themselves as low- and middle-income individuals, the petitioners stated that they rely on these savings for daily necessities, medical treatment, and education. Withholding deposited funds without legal authority violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, including equality before the law (Article 27), protection of law (Article 31), protection of life and personal liberty (Article 32), and property rights (Article 42). They emphasized that they were not seeking special favors, but simply demanding their money in accordance with the law. The petition added that resolving such grievances falls under the statutory duty of Bangladesh Bank as the regulator of scheduled banks, and its failure to act is challengeable under Article 102 of the Constitution.
The court order comes amid an ongoing liquidity crisis at National Bank. In February this year ahead of Eid, the lender received BDT 1,000 crore in emergency liquidity support from Bangladesh Bank as it struggled to honor customer withdrawals.
The bank's asset quality has also degraded significantly. As of March 31, 2026, its defaulted loans rose to BDT 24,302 crore, accounting for 56.44 percent of its total disbursed loans.
A report by The media highlighted severe hardships faced by customers nationwide, with branches rationing cash and ATM booths frequently running dry. The acting managing director of the bank told the daily that news of the emergency support inadvertently triggered a fresh panic among depositors, forcing management to systematically restrict daily cash payouts.
