Home › Circulars › RBI/2011-12/572

UAPA Section 51-A: UN Taliban Sanctions List Update

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/572 · issued 23 May 2012 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI mandates banks to update and screen accounts against the UNSCR 1988 Taliban sanctions list. New accounts must be checked; existing accounts must be scanned for matches. Freeze assets as per earlier UAPA procedures.
Sanctions-list safety note. This circular refers to a specific UN Security Council / UAPA designated-entities list update as it stood on the date above — sanctions lists change often, and a newer update almost certainly exists today. Never use this page, or any single dated circular, as your current screening list. Always screen against the live, current list at the official UAPA proscribed-organisations list and the UN Consolidated List, and confirm the obligations for your bank on the official rbi.org.in source below.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

Rahul, a KYC & compliance officer in Indore, ensures that all new customers are checked against the updated UNSCR 1988 list before approving their loan applications. He also scans all existing accounts to identify any matches with the updated list and freezes the assets of any matched individuals/entities as per the procedure.

What changed

RBI circulated updates to the UNSCR 1988 sanctions list based on Government of India notes from March and May 2012. Banks must incorporate these changes into their screening processes.

What it means for you

Banks must immediately update their internal sanctions lists with the latest Taliban-related entities and individuals. Failure to screen new and existing accounts could lead to regulatory action. This reinforces the legal obligation under UAPA, 1967 to freeze assets of designated persons.

What you must do

Who it affects

All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding RRBs), Local Area Banks, All India Financial Institutions

❓ Common questions

What is the source of the updated sanctions list?

The updates come from the UN Security Council's 1988 Committee, forwarded by the Ministry of External Affairs. The full list is on the UN website.

Do we need to freeze accounts immediately upon finding a match?

Yes, follow the freezing procedure outlined in paragraph 6 of RBI's September 17, 2009 circular on UAPA implementation.

Is this a one-time update or recurring?

This is a recurring obligation. RBI will continue to circulate updates as the UN sanctions list changes.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/572 DBOD. AML. No.17478 /14.06.001/2011-12 May 23, 2012 The Chairmen / CEOs of all Scheduled Commercial Banks (Excluding RRBs)/ Local Area Banks / All India Financial Institutions Dear Sir, Implementation of Section 51-A of UAPA, 1967 Updates of the UNSCR 1988(2011) Sanctions List Please refer to our circular DBOD. AML. No. 12441/14.06.001/2011-12 dated February 21, 2012 . We have since received from Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, UNP Division copies of notes dated March 2, 2012 , March 19, 2012 and May 18, 2012 (copies enclosed) forwarded by the Chairman of UN Security Council's 1988 Committee regarding changes made in the “1988 Sanctions List”, i.e. list  of Individuals and entities linked to Taliban, as detailed in the enclosed notes. 2. Banks/All India Financial Institutions are required to update the list of individuals/entities as circulated by Reserve Bank and before opening any new account, it should be ensured that the name/s of the proposed customer does not appear in the list. Further, banks should scan all existing accounts to ensure that no account is held by or linked to any of the entities or individuals included in the list. 3 .   Banks are advised to strictly follow the procedure laid down in the UAPA Order dated August 27, 2009 enclosed to our circular DBOD. AML. BC. No. 44/14.01.001/2009-10 dated September 17, 2009 and ensure meticulous compliance to the Order issued by the Government. 4.  As far as freezing of funds, financial assets or economic resources or related services held in the form of bank accounts of the designated individuals/entities are concerned, action should be taken as detailed in paragraph 6 of the circular dated September 17, 2009, mentioned above. 5.  The complete details of the said list are available on the UN website:       http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1988/list.shtml 6. Compliance Officer/Principal Officer should acknowledge receipt of this circular. Yours faithfully, (S. K. Jha) Deputy General Manager Encl: as above
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/572 · issued 23 May 2012. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related
Most relevant forCompliance TeamKYC / AML AnalystBranch Operations (Accounts / FD / CASA)Branch Manager — Private Bank / SFBBranch Manager — PSU / Co-op / RRB (sanctioning powers)Personal Banker / Branch RM (Portfolio)
🛠 Banker’s toolkit — checklists & reply templates →
Related circulars · Department of Regulation
SFB Pillar 3 Disclosure Norms Aligned with BaselUCB Deposit Rate Disclosure & Uniformity Rules UpdatedLAB Deposit Rate Disclosure & Uniformity Rules TightenedPayments Banks: Interest Rates Must Match Disclosed ScheduleRBI Updates Bulk Deposit Rate Rules and Disclosure Timing
Browse all departments →
Who does what — compliance checklist
💻 IT / Systems
  • Screen all new account applications against the updated list before onboarding.
📜 Compliance
  • Update your internal sanctions database with the latest UNSCR 1988 list from the UN website.
  • Conduct a fresh scan of all existing accounts to identify any matches with the updated list.
  • Freeze funds and assets of any matched individuals/entities as per the procedure in the September 2009 circular.
  • Ensure your Compliance Officer acknowledges receipt of this circular.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding RRBs), Local Area Banks, All India Financial Institutions), your first concrete step on “UAPA Section 51-A: UN Taliban Sanctions List Update” is: “Update your internal sanctions database with the latest UNSCR 1988 list from the UN website.” (RBI issued this 23 May 2012).

  1. Circular: RBI/2011-12/572 -- UAPA Section 51-A: UN Taliban Sanctions List Update
  2. Issued: 23 May 2012
  3. Action required: Update your internal sanctions database with the latest UNSCR 1988 list from the UN website.
  4. Action required: Screen all new account applications against the updated list before onboarding.
  5. Action required: Conduct a fresh scan of all existing accounts to identify any matches with the updated list.
  6. Action required: Freeze funds and assets of any matched individuals/entities as per the procedure in the September 2009 circular.
  7. Action required: Ensure your Compliance Officer acknowledges receipt of this circular.
  8. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  9. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  10. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

💬 Banker Discussion

Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.

Loading comments…
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 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=7231&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.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗
—