HomeCirculars › RBI/2006-07/220

Cheque Drop Box: Customer Choice Must Be Respected

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2006-07/220 · issued 26 Dec 2006 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRRBs cannot force customers to use cheque drop boxes. Counter acceptance with acknowledgement must always be available. Display a trilingual notice on the drop box informing customers of both options.

What changed

RBI observed that many RRB branches were compelling customers to drop cheques in drop boxes and refusing counter acknowledgement. The circular mandates that branches must accept cheques at counters and provide acknowledgement if requested. Drop boxes remain optional, not mandatory.

What it means for you

Branches must maintain both drop box and counter service for cheque deposits. Refusing counter acceptance is a violation and can lead to customer complaints to Banking Ombudsmen. The notice on the drop box must be in English, Hindi, and the regional language to ensure informed choice.

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), RRB branch managers and staff, RRB customers depositing cheques

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

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

Can a branch refuse to accept a cheque at the counter if a drop box is available?

No. RBI explicitly prohibits refusal. Customers must have the choice to tender cheques at the counter and receive an acknowledgement.

What languages must the notice on the drop box be in?

The notice must be displayed in English, Hindi, and the concerned regional language of the state.

What happens if a branch forces customers to use the drop box?

It violates RBI instructions and may lead to complaints to the Banking Ombudsman. Banks should ensure compliance to avoid regulatory action.

📜 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Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)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 #2537: RPCD.CO.RRB.BC.No.39/03.05.33(E)/2006-07 — "Cheque Drop Box Facility and the Facility for Acknowledgement of Cheques" dated December 26, 2006”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2006-07/220 RPCD.CO.RRB.BC NO./ 39/03.05.33(E)/2006-07 December 26, 2006 To All Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) Dear Sir, Cheque Drop Box Facility and the facility for acknowledgement of cheques. Reserve Bank of India / Banking Ombudsmen have been receiving complaints that many bank branches are not accepting cheques at the counters and are compelling the customers to drop the cheques in the Cheque Drop Box. 2. It is, therefore, advised that customers should not be compelled to drop the cheques in the drop box and while the cheque drop box facility may be made available to the customers, the facility for acknowledgement of the cheques at the regular collection counters should also be available to the customers. No branch should refuse to give an acknowledgement if the customer tenders the cheque at the counters. 3. Wherever the cheque drop box facility has been introduced, it is necessary that customer is made aware of both the options available to him, i.e. dropping cheques in the drop box or tendering them at the counters so that he can take an informed decision in this regard. Banks are, therefore, advised to invariably display on the Cheque Drop-Box itself that ' Customers can also tender the cheques at the counter and obtain acknowledgement on the pay-in-slips' The above message may be displayed in English, Hindi and the concerned regional language of the State. 4. Please acknowledge receipt to our concerned Regional Office. Yours faithfully, (G.Srinivasan) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2006-07/220 · issued 26 Dec 2006. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=3223&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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