HomeCirculars › RBI/2004-05/260

Committee Appointed by Supreme Court to Take Custody of Golden Forest (I) Ltd. Assets

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2004-05/260 · issued 01 Nov 2004 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRRBs must immediately transfer all balances in Golden Forest (I) Ltd. accounts to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee chaired by Justice R.N. Agarwal (Retd.), via demand draft/pay order or credit to State Bank of Patiala, High Court Branch, Chandigarh.

What changed

The Supreme Court, via orders dated August 19 and September 10, 2004, appointed a Committee to take custody of all assets of Golden Forest (I) Ltd., realize them, and scrutinize creditor claims. The Committee replaced Justice K.T. Thomas with Justice R.N. Agarwal as Chairman. RBI has directed all RRBs to remit any balances held in the company's accounts to this Committee.

What it means for you

RRBs must act urgently to identify and transfer any funds belonging to Golden Forest (I) Ltd. to the designated Committee account. Failure to comply could lead to legal consequences as the Supreme Court has directed all authorities to assist the Committee. This is a one-time compliance requirement; the Committee must submit its report within six months.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Branches of RRBs that may have accounts of Golden Forest (I) Ltd.

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What is the deadline for transferring the funds?

The Supreme Court directed the Committee to submit its report within six months from the order date, so RRBs should treat this as urgent and transfer funds immediately.

How should we remit the money?

You can issue a demand draft or pay order in favor of 'The Chairman, Committee-GFIL' or credit the amount to the Committee's account maintained with State Bank of Patiala, High Court Branch, Chandigarh.

What if we don't have any accounts for Golden Forest (I) Ltd.?

If no such accounts exist, no action is required, but you should still acknowledge receipt of this circular to your RBI Regional Office.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #2888: RPCD.RRB.CO.No.BC.52/03.05.33/2004-05 — "Before the Supreme Court of India - I.A.Nos. 9, 20 & 28 - In Transfer Case No. 2 of 2004-P(C) No. 696 of 2002 and I.A”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2004-05/260 RPCD.RRB.CO.No.BC.. 52/03.05.33/2004-05 November 1, 2004 All Regional Rural Banks Dear Sir, Before the Supreme Court of India - I.A.Nos. 9, 20 & 28 – In Transfer Case No. 2 of 2004-P(C) No. 696 of 2002 and I.A.No. 1 in TC 68/2003 – The Securities and Exchange Board of India etc. Vs Golden Forest (I) Ltd. and Others – Appointment of Committee by the Supreme Court - Regarding We advise that the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India has, vide its order dated 19th August and 10th September 2004 (copy of orders enclosed), appointed a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri R.N. Aggarwal, Chief Justice (Retd.) with two members, one each from the Reserve Bank of India and Securities and Exchange Board of India for the purposes of taking into custody all the assets of the Golden Forest (I) Ltd.; realising these assets; calling for claims of creditors and scrutinising them; and submitting its report to the Supreme Court of India within six months. 2. The Committee has requested the Bank to direct all the banks to forward the information relating to bank accounts maintained in the name of the said company and transfer the money lying in those accounts to the Committee. The Supreme Court has, in its order dated 19th August 2004, directed all authorities to give all necessary assistance to the Committee for taking over all assets of the Company. 3. In view of the above, you may remit the balance lying in the account/s maintained by any of the branches of your bank in the name of the Golden Forest (India) Ltd. either by issuing demand drafts / pay orders in favour of 'The Chairman, Committee-GFIL' or by crediting the account of the 'The Chairman, Committee-GFIL' maintained with the State Bank of Patiala, High Court Branch, Chandigarh under advice to the Committee on the following address. Office of the Chairman, Committee-Golden Forest (I) Ltd (Appointed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India), Bungalow No. 60, Sector 4, Chandigarh.
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2004-05/260 · issued 01 Nov 2004. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=2018&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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