Hello, There are 3 lockers in a bank, two of which I jointly own with my husband. And the other one is owned by my father who has given authorization to me and my husband to operate. I have used these lockers to store all my jewellery. Subsequently my father-in-law wanted access to these lockes as me and my husband don't live in India and we live in the UK. He asked us to write a letter of authorisation to him and his wife which we did. I believe he also may have got one such letter from my father also. My father-in-law is no more now. We are now in the process of getting divorced and my mother-in-law has been visitng the bank and accessing all the three lockers often and essentially all my jewellery is in their control and I have absolutely no idea what she has been taking from them. Now my father asked the bank to revoke access to his locker. But I believe she can still access the other two lockers. Unfortunately, I can't check as I am not in India. Now these people are raising a hue and cry that they cannot access the one locker which belongs to my father and say they will take an action against the bank and us and what not. I want to prevent them from accessing any of these lockers and also want to take an action against them. Is that possible?
You can send letter to bank you registered post AD not to permit your mother in law to access bank lockers standing in joint names of you and your husband
2) bank would revoke permission granted to access the lockers
3) no need to bow down to pressure tactics
You can submit an application in all three bank's locker that with out permission it should not be operated henceforth by any previous granted by you and your husband for operating the lockers.
No need to worry about their actions, because you are the account holder of those lockers.
First revoke the power of attorney and then inform the ban not to aloow anyone to access the bank locker except the holder of it.
if anything is found to be missing from your locker a case of criminal breach of trust can always be initiated.
You can do that only through an injunction order from court
Write to the bank to revoke the access.
Regards
G.Rajaganapathy
High Court of Madras
Dear Madam,
yes, you can revoke the access given to them. you have to write an application to the bank stating the same.
you can also appoint a POA who will act on your behalf and file a legal complaint against them, in case you can not come to India for the court proceedings.
initially, you can send them a legal notice ( Legal notice can also be sent through online mode) to stop the access to your locker and they must not make an issue out of it since it was yours and of your father and not of the in-laws.
Thaks for all the answers. My ex husband posted on facebook defaming the bank simply because his mother was not given access to my father's locker as my father informed the bank that he does not want anyone else to access his locker. Ex husband is threatening to get the police involved and file a court case possibly on the bank. What's his standing? It really is surprising because he is raising a hue and cry because his mother is unable to access someone else's locker.
Let him do that you can take legal steps against him
Ignore him. No case lies against the bank. rather he or his parents can be criminally prosecuted if you find your valuables missing.
Dear maam,
The ex husband can file a case, but surely wont win.
Ex husband has no case
he cannot force your father to give his mother access to his bank locker
- As per law, A husband cannot inherit any share in the property of his wife during her life time, and further a husband also has no right over the gift /jewellery/share benefits, which a wife received at the time of her marriage.
- Hence, your husband or his parents having no right to claim over your jewellery/costly items ,and if they did so, then you can lodge a compliant under section 406 IPC against them .
- Further , if you have given authority earlier , then legally you can revoke the same after informing the bank .
Either or withdraw whatsoever is kept in bank's locker and close the account by giving POA rights to your father. Or get order from court to get divide the jewelry.
You may write to bank to revoke the authorisation given to your mother in law to operate the locker jointly owned by yor husband and you and to seal the locker till such time you and your husband jointly open the locker in future.
You may mention the strained relationship with your in laws and matrimonial dispute with your husband s reasons for this request and my also instruct bank manager to adhere to your demands to revoke the power your mother in law possess to operate the bank lockers or to face legal action through court and police for favoring your other in law.
You may issue a legal notice to the bank to this effect.
Your husband's hue and cry or anguish expressed out of frustration will not enable him to fetch the desired results.
The bank will follow the rules in this regard.
Your father is the owner of the locker hence he can very well ask the bank to stop your mother in law from operating his bank locker.
Let the bank answer his issues, you need not break your head on this, because you are not the bank nor it would affect you in any manner because these utterances are not aimed at you.
Your Ex-husband has not locus standii for filing any case against your father or bank when your father already instructs the bank that Noone should access his locker. Even police have no power for the same. It is completely
