The Kerala High Court (HC) recently passed an interim order directing the State Bank of India to return a pet cat to loan defaulter. The cat was stranded in the home of the loan defaulter, which was attached by the bank.
The petitioner said that his cat was stuck inside the house, the secured asset, over which the bank had taken possession. In the plea, the petitioner had prayed to stay all loan recovery proceedings against his residence. Hearing the arguments Justice Mohammed Nias passed interim orders to release the cat to petitioner Muhammed Nishad from the attached home by the bank.
“Permission was sought for a today moving of this Original petition, on the submission that though the Bank has taken possession of the secured asset, a cat belonging to the petitioner is trapped inside the house, and accordingly, permission for today moving was granted.
“In view of the above submission, there will be a direction to the respondent Bank, which is in possession of the secured asset, to verify the correctness of the above submission and, if true, to ensure that the said pet is handed over to the petitioner without delay. A statement shall be filed by the Bank regarding the above on or before October 6, 2025.” The case is posted next on October 6.