Hi Rahul and all on this thread,
I have drafted a letter to the bank official here at ICICI which I plan to send. First I would appreciate if you could look through the letter to see if it makes sense in the context of legal or professional style letters in the Indian context. Don’t be confused about my name: I used my legal birth documents name in the letter. Also please see if the translation into Hindi which follows after the English, makes sense – the translation was done by Google translate. Any suggestions to change please feel free to let me know. The letter is below. Thanks. Yamuna Jivana dasa Please note for your convenience this letter is translated to Hindi script after the English below, using Google Translate. Dear Shashanki, This is Yoganathan Khandoo, your NRI account holder blind customer formerly from South Africa. I opened my account along with my wife Sherry Ann Khandoo. I trust you are well. As I have been living in Vrindavan for over a year, I now wish to close my NRI account and convert to local account. I also now have acquired Aadhaar card to facilitate this process. Before doing this, I wish to clarify that for my local account I wish to use my own fingerprint to sign all account opening documents. Previously when we opened my NRI account it was suggested by you that my wife must sign all my documents. I have since learnt that as per RBI guidelines, people who cannot use pen signatures such as the blind, illiterate or dyslectic may use an alternate form of signature including fingerprint signatures. I wish to avail of this option only to assert my dignity of independence as a differently abled individual. It places me as a male authority over my own family, affording me the right to exercise my own choice and in terms of human rights afforded by Indian legislation which I choose to avail of. For me it is a question of dignity, wherein I stand in support of people with disabilities at large. In support of my own case, please find the following National legislation and RBI Banking circular references for your information: 1. Paragraph 9 and 10 of RBI Master circular on customer service in Banks dated 1st July 2015: section 2(1)(A): iv) If a Blind / visually challenged person is illiterate, or literate but unable to sign uniformly, his thumb impression should be obtained as a rule on the account opening form, pay-in slips and the withdrawal order forms and all the other precautions prescribed for the opening and conduct of accounts of illiterate depositors will be followed. v) However, if a Blind / visually challenged person is literate and he is in a position to sign uniformly, he may put his signature on the account opening form, pay-in slips and the withdrawal order forms. Please see: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewMasCirculardetails.aspx?id=9862 2. Banking facilities for senior citizens and differently abled persons dated 9th November 2017: 3.7: Wherever thumb or toe impression of the old/sick pensioner is obtained, it should be identified by two independent witnesses known to the bank, one of whom should be a responsible bank official. Please find the “BANKING ON ACCESSIBILITY” document attached. Kindly discuss all of the above with your branch manager Ravinder Singh and provide me with feedback as soon as possible. Thank you. Yoganathan Khandoo प्रिय शशांकी, यह योगनाथन खंडू है, आपका एनआरआई खाताधारक नेत्रहीन ग्राहक जो पहले दक्षिण अफ्रीका का रहने वाला था। मैंने अपनी पत्नी शेरी एन खंडू के साथ अपना खाता खोला। आशा है के तुम ठीक हो। चूँकि मैं एक वर्ष से अधिक समय से वृन्दावन में रह रहा हूँ, अब मैं अपना एनआरआई खाता बंद करना चाहता हूँ और स्थानीय खाते में परिवर्तित होना चाहता हूँ। इस प्रक्रिया को सुविधाजनक बनाने के लिए मैंने अब आधार कार्ड भी हासिल कर लिया है। ऐसा करने से पहले, मैं स्पष्ट करना चाहता हूं कि अपने स्थानीय खाते के लिए मैं सभी खाता खोलने वाले दस्तावेजों पर हस्ताक्षर करने के लिए अपने फिंगरप्रिंट का उपयोग करना चाहता हूं। पहले जब हमने अपना एनआरआई खाता खोला था तो आपने सुझाव दिया था कि मेरी पत्नी को मेरे सभी दस्तावेजों पर हस्ताक्षर करने होंगे। तब से मुझे पता चला है कि आरबीआई दिशानिर्देशों के अनुसार, जो लोग अंधे, अनपढ़ या विकलांग लोगों जैसे पेन हस्ताक्षर का उपयोग नहीं कर सकते हैं, वे फिंगरप्रिंट हस्ताक्षर सहित हस्ताक्षर के वैकल्पिक रूप का उपयोग कर सकते हैं। मैं एक दिव्यांग व्यक्ति के रूप में अपनी स्वतंत्रता की गरिमा को बनाए रखने के लिए ही इस विकल्प का लाभ उठाना चाहता हूं। यह मुझे अपने ही परिवार पर एक पुरुष प्राधिकारी के रूप में स्थापित करता है, मुझे अपनी पसंद का उपयोग करने का अधिकार देता है और भारतीय कानून द्वारा प्रदत्त मानवाधिकारों के संदर्भ में जिसका मैं लाभ उठाना चाहता हूं। मेरे लिए यह गरिमा का सवाल है, जिसमें मैं बड़े पैमाने पर विकलांग लोगों के समर्थन में खड़ा हूं। मेरे अपने मामले के समर्थन में, कृपया अपनी जानकारी के लिए निम्नलिखित राष्ट्रीय कानून और आरबीआई बैंकिंग परिपत्र संदर्भ देखें: 1. बैंकों में ग्राहक सेवा पर आरबीआई मास्टर सर्कुलर दिनांक 1 जुलाई 2015 का पैराग्राफ 9 और 10: धारा 2(1)(ए): iv) यदि कोई नेत्रहीन / दृष्टिबाधित व्यक्ति अनपढ़ है, या साक्षर है लेकिन समान रूप से हस्ताक्षर करने में असमर्थ है, तो उसके अंगूठे का निशान खाता खोलने के फॉर्म, पे-इन स्लिप और निकासी आदेश फॉर्म और निर्धारित अन्य सभी सावधानियों पर नियम के रूप में लिया जाना चाहिए। निरक्षर जमाकर्ताओं के खाते खोलने एवं संचालन हेतु नियमों का पालन किया जायेगा। v) हालाँकि, यदि कोई नेत्रहीन/दृष्टिबाधित व्यक्ति साक्षर है और वह समान रूप से हस्ताक्षर करने की स्थिति में है, तो वह खाता खोलने के फॉर्म, पे-इन स्लिप और निकासी आदेश फॉर्म पर अपने हस्ताक्षर कर सकता है। कृपया देखें: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewMasCircululardetails.aspx?id=9862 2. वरिष्ठ नागरिकों और दिव्यांग व्यक्तियों के लिए बैंकिंग सुविधाएं दिनांक 9 नवंबर 2017: 3.7: जहां भी बूढ़े/बीमार पेंशनभोगी के अंगूठे या पैर की अंगुली का निशान प्राप्त किया जाता है, उसकी पहचान बैंक के ज्ञात दो स्वतंत्र गवाहों द्वारा की जानी चाहिए, जिनमें से एक जिम्मेदार बैंक अधिकारी होना चाहिए। कृपया संलग्न "बैंकिंग ऑन एक्सेसिबिलिटी" दस्तावेज़ ढूंढें। कृपया अपने शाखा प्रबंधक रविंदर सिंह के साथ उपरोक्त सभी पर चर्चा करें और मुझे यथाशीघ्र प्रतिक्रिया प्रदान करें। धन्यवाद। योगनाथन खांडू From: accessindia@accessindia.org.in [mailto:accessindia@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Rahul Bhatia Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 6:46 PM To: AccessIndia <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> Subject: Re: [AI] Singnature required for banking facilities? Kindly meet branch manager of vrindavan and tell him RBI guidelines if a person can sign then they should allow you to sign with own . And as you aadhar card generated now now you can apply for disability certificate and UDID i remember we spoke regarding last time. On Wed, 13 Dec, 2023, 5:20 pm Yamuna Jivana Dasa (Yoganathan Khandoo), <ykhan...@gmail.com <mailto:ykhan...@gmail.com> > wrote: Dear friends, When I signed up for my ICICI NRI bank account, the official here in Vrindavan branch refused to allow me to sign, she insisted my wife will sign on my behalf for the account opening documents. Now that I have Aadhaar card, I am entitled to a local bank account. I will be going to the same branch to convert my account from NRI to local bank account. However in doing so, I would like to sign my own bank account opening documents for the local account using my thumb impression. From past experience I know she will not allow me to do so, unless she is educated about rights of people with disabilities in terms of banking legislation. I have the name and phone number of the banking official, as well as the name of the branch manager. Is there someone on this list preferably with some banking authority, who could speak to her prior to my visit? She knows English but I believe not too well. Please contact me if someone here can help. I hesitate to send the banking official's contact info on this public list. Thanks friends. I will be grateful for any help. Kind regards, Yamuna Jivana dasa -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. 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