Four depositors of National Bank PLC have mounted a legal challenge in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court after being repeatedly denied access to their deposited funds. Despite possessing sufficient credit balances in their respective bank accounts, the account holders found themselves unable to withdraw money using cheques at their designated branches. Facing mounting frustration after numerous unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue directly with branch officials, the aggrieved customers turned to the judiciary for redress.
The writ petition, filed under Article 102 of the Constitution of Bangladesh and registered as Writ Petition No. 136er/2026, seeks a formal rule from the court. The petitioners are asking why the bank’s failure to permit the withdrawal of their lawfully held funds should not be declared illegal and without lawful authority.
According to the petition, the incident escalated on 17 September when the four depositors presented valid cheques to their respective branches to withdraw money for their day-to-day needs. Branch staff allegedly refused to process the cheques or disburse the requested sums, failing to offer any clear or valid explanation for the denial.
Among the petitioners is Md Shamim Ahmed, a client at the Bhaluka branch in Mymensingh, who submitted cheque number 4871684 to withdraw 220,000 BDT, only to be turned away empty-handed. On the same day, Nasima Begum presented cheque number NSB-K 7236432 at the Mirzapur SME branch in Tangail to draw 30,000 BDT, but she met with an identical refusal. The remaining two petitioners, Laki Akter from the Mirzapur SME Agriculture branch and Mst Sathi Begum from the main Mirzapur branch, encountered similar barriers when attempting to access their account balances.
Prior to seeking judicial intervention, the depositors escalated their grievances to the central banking authority. They lodged formal written complaints via email with Bangladesh Bank’s Customer Interest Protection Centre (CIPC) and the Financial Integrity and Customer Services Department (FICSD). However, the petition notes that despite these official communications, regulators failed to take immediate or effective action to restore access to their accounts.
With no administrative resolution in sight, Md Shamim Ahmed was granted power of attorney to represent the group in the legal proceedings. Supreme Court advocate Maruf Ul Abed is representing the four petitioners as the High Court prepares to consider the matter.
