No round-the-clock guards needed at ATMs, rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that it is not mandatory for banks to place security guards round-the-clock at all ATMs to enforce proper queues and that only one customer enters an ATM at a time.

The decision by a bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran came as it overturned a directive issued by the Gauhati high court in December 2013 that mandated the deployment of security guards at all ATMs round the clock to prevent fraud and maintain order at ATM facilities.

Setting aside the high court’s directive, the bench accepted the arguments presented by the Union government and various banks, which contended that deploying security guards at every ATM was impractical.