Security

India Supreme Court proclaims guards not needed at ATMs

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February 13, 2025

The Supreme Court of India has declared that banks do not need 24/7 security guards at ATMs. This overturns a December 2017 ruling that mandated guards to prevent fraud and ensure orderly lines, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

The State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Bank of India had opposed the ruling saying it was impractical to staff ATMs with guards at all times. The Supreme Court stayed the directive in 2016 and permanently removed it with this recent ruling.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta had stated that with so many thousands of ATMs in operation, it was impractical to keep ATMs staffed by guards and instead the CCTV surveillance cameras were sufficient.