SC: No need to guard ATMs round the clock

The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a Gauhati High Court order that mandated round-the-clock manning of ATMs to ensure that only one customer entered an ATM at a time. The decision came after banks submitted that it was not practical to deploy security guards at all ATMs 24x7.

A Bench led by Justice BR Gavai agreed with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing some banks, who argued that it was not feasible to have security guards stationed at every ATM. “In Assam, we have around 4,000 ATMs. We cannot have one security guard at all ATMs. The worldwide recognised system is to have CCTVs,” Mehta said, requesting the top court to make its December 2016 order, which had stayed the high court’s direction, permanent.