IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS DATED: 13-02-2026 CORAM THE HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE P.T. ASHA and WMP. No.55757 of 2025 S.Kasi Viswanathan S/o.P.R.Sellppan No.82/14, 3rd Main Road Extension, Venkateswara Nagar, Velachery, Chennai-600 042.

..Petitioner Vs

1. The Karnataka Bank Ltd., Rep by its Deputy General Manager Registered and Head Office No.599, Mahaveera Circle Kankanady, Mangaluru-575 002.

2. The Karnataka Bank Ltd., Rep by its Branch Manager, 123, 3rd Avenue, Near Erode Amman Mess W-Block, Anna Nagar, Chennai-600 040.

..Respondents PRAYER : Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying to issue a Writ of Mandamus, directing the 1^st respondent to remove the petitioner’s name namely Kasi Viswanathan, from the Caution List of Third Party Entities, published in the Indian Banks’ Association website https.www.iba.org.in/ immediately and to pass orders.

For Petitioner: Mr.A.E.Ravichandran For Respondents: Mr.A.Damodaran [R1 & R2]

ORDER

The above writ petition has filed seeking a mandamus to the 1^st respondent to remove the petitioner name from the caution list of the 3^rd party entities, published in the Indian Bank Association website.

2.The short facts involved in this writ petition are as follows :

(a) The petitioner is a registered valuer under the Income / Wealth Tax Act and is also an approved and registered Valuer in the panel for Valuers for Bank. He has an experience of over 9 years in the field of valuation of assets. The petitioner was in the Panel of Valuers with the 1^st respondent-Bank from 2019 till 2025 under the recommendations of the second respondent and thereafter, his name was not renewed in the respondent-Bank. In addition, the petitioner also continued to be the panel Valuer for other Banks viz., Canara Bank, Indian Bank, Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India, LIC, HIF etc., and there were no complaints against him insofar the valuation report submitted by him.

(b) While so, on 21.07.2025, the first respondent sent a letter requesting the petitioner to submit his explanation with reference to the valuation report submitted by him with respect to the credit facilities sanctioned to one M/s. Sri Lakshmi Traders. The petitioner had submitted his detailed explanation on 04.08.2025, however, there was no response from the first respondent-Bank.

(c) The petitioner would submit that on 19.08.2025, the 1^st respondent-

Bank had referred his name to the Indian Bank Association so as to enable them to include the petitioner's name in the caution list of third parties. This caution list of third party entities is hosted by the Indian Bank Association (in short 'IBA') in its website, which is created by IBA for its own internal use of the member banks and other than its member banks no other can have the access of the website. Therefore, the petitioner was not aware of this. Further, if any third party attempts to enter the website, a “Note for Information” would be displayed stating that ‘IBA is a neither a Government entity nor a Regulatory Authority and not amenable to Writ jurisdiction of Courts and not subjected to RTI Act'.

(d)The petitioner would further submit that the member Banks of IBA would notify the names of third parties in the website, prior to engaging the service of third parties, and on verification, if the names of the third parties has been figured in the Caution List, they would be blacklisted and the said third party will not be engaged with any service.

(e)The petitioner would submit that his name was notified in the website of IBA at S.No.346, referring that “Valuer has wrongly mentioned that 24 feet is available and 40 feet bitumen road is available, however, the property is land locked’.

(f) The petitioner would draw reference to the show cause notice issued to him on 21.07.2025, wherein he was asked to give his explanation to the valuation report dated 24.04.2025 submitted by him in respect of the property offered as security by M/s.Sri Lakshmi Traders, and who