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Preserve 2016 CCTV recordings until further orders

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2021-22/51 · issued 08 Jun 2021 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI extends the preservation mandate for CCTV recordings from Nov 8 to Dec 30, 2016, at branches and currency chests. Banks must keep these recordings safe until further notice due to ongoing investigations and court cases.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A currency-chest / cash officer in Indore receives a reminder from her compliance team to check that the old CCTV hard drives from November–December 2016 are still working and backed up. She labels them 'DO NOT DELETE – RBI ORDER' and stores them in a locked cabinet, knowing that if a court asks for footage of a suspicious cash exchange from that period, her branch can hand it over immediately.

What changed

RBI has extended the earlier advisory from December 2016, which required preservation of CCTV recordings for the demonetisation period. The new circular mandates continued preservation until further orders, citing pending law enforcement investigations and court proceedings.

What it means for you

Banks must ensure that CCTV footage from the specified period remains intact and accessible, as it may be critical evidence for ongoing probes. This adds a long-term storage obligation, requiring banks to manage data retention policies and storage infrastructure accordingly.

What you must do

Who it affects

All scheduled commercial banks, Bank branches and currency chests, Compliance and legal departments, IT and security teams managing CCTV systems

❓ Common questions

Why does RBI still require preservation of 2016 CCTV recordings?

Law enforcement agencies have pending investigations and court cases related to illegal accumulation of new currency notes during demonetisation, making these recordings essential evidence.

What happens if we cannot locate or have already deleted these recordings?

The circular does not specify penalties, but non-compliance could hinder investigations. Banks should immediately check archives and consult RBI or legal advisors if recordings are missing.

Is there any end date for this preservation requirement?

No, the circular states 'till further orders,' meaning banks must retain the recordings indefinitely until RBI issues a subsequent directive.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2021-22/51 DCM(Plg).No. 51961/10.27.00/2021-22 June 8, 2021 The Chairman & Managing Director Chief Executive Officers All Banks Dear Sir, Preservation of CCTV recordings Please refer to our circular DCM (Plg) No. 1712/10.27.00/2016-17 dated December 13, 2016 wherein the banks were advised to preserve the CCTV recordings of operations at bank branches and currency chests for the period from November 08, 2016 to December 30, 2016, until further instructions, to facilitate coordinated and effective action by the enforcement agencies in dealing with matters relating to illegal accumulation of new currency notes. 2. In continuation to the above, keeping in view the investigations pending with law enforcement agencies, proceedings pending at various courts, you are advised to preserve the CCTV recordings of operations at bank branches and currency chests for the period from November 08, 2016 to December 30, 2016 in a proper way, till further orders. 3. Please acknowledge receipt. Yours faithfully, (Sudip Malik) General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2021-22/51 · issued 08 Jun 2021. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Who does what — compliance checklist
🏦 Branch Manager
  • Identify and secure all CCTV recordings from November 8 to December 30, 2016, at branches and currency chests.
📜 Compliance
  • Ensure proper storage and backup to prevent data loss or degradation over time.
  • Acknowledge receipt of this circular to RBI as instructed.
  • Coordinate with legal and compliance teams to track any court orders or agency requests for these recordings.
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 Branch Manager at a bank this circular applies to (All scheduled commercial banks, Bank branches and currency chests, Compliance and legal departments, IT and security teams managing CCTV systems), your first concrete step on “Preserve 2016 CCTV recordings until further orders” is: “Identify and secure all CCTV recordings from November 8 to December 30, 2016, at branches and currency chests.” (RBI issued this 08 Jun 2021).

  1. Circular: RBI/2021-22/51 -- Preserve 2016 CCTV recordings until further orders
  2. Issued: 08 Jun 2021
  3. Action required: Identify and secure all CCTV recordings from November 8 to December 30, 2016, at branches and currency chests.
  4. Action required: Ensure proper storage and backup to prevent data loss or degradation over time.
  5. Action required: Acknowledge receipt of this circular to RBI as instructed.
  6. Action required: Coordinate with legal and compliance teams to track any court orders or agency requests for these recordings.
  7. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  8. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  9. 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.

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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12110&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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