Gurgaon: A civil court reprimanded an HDFC Bank branch for refusing to attach a DHBVN account despite a warrant. The Sector 14 branch said the bank said it could not act because the account was held at Hisar’s Jindal Chowk branch.The case arose from an execution petition filed by Lal Chand, who has been seeking recovery of Rs 77,174 from DHBVN under an earlier decree. To enforce the order, the court had directed attachment of DHBVN’s account 01551450000828, but the warrant was returned unexecuted.The bank said it couldn’t attach an account operated through another branch.Civil judge Nidhi Beniwal rejected the explanation, calling it “not tenable”. “In today’s era of online banking, accounts can be operated across branches with ease. Such refusal amounts to interference in execution proceedings,” she observed.The judge then warned the branch manager to attach the account without fail or appear in person to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated. “He shall showcause why he should not be sent to civil imprisonment,” the court order stated.The dispute goes back to March 2001, when Chand — a retired Navy officer from Nurpur in Gurgaon — applied to DHBVN that year for disconnection or suspension of electricity supply to his house while he was away on duty. He received an acknowledgement of the request.After retirement, he returned to the village and approached DHBVN in June 2020 for a fresh electricity connection. He was then informed that an outstanding bill of Rs 57,874 was pending against him. He produced his earlier disconnection request and receipt, but DHBVN did not accept his claim.In Oct 2020, he deposited the amount under protest, following which a fresh connection was issued in Nov 2020. He moved the court in Sept 2021, seeking a refund along with interest.In Sept 2025, the court ruled in his favour and directed DHBVN to refund the amount with 6% annual interest, taking the total to Rs 77,174. DHBVN challenged the order, but additional district judge Puneet Sehgal dismissed the appeal in April 2026 and upheld the ruling.Chand had filed an execution petition in Dec 2025 to secure enforcement of the refund order. On April 9, 2026, civil judge Beniwal directed the bank to attach DHBVN’s account.The bank’s refusal prompted the latest order. The court has now issued a fresh warrant of attachment and sought a compliance report.
