Banks Can Set Credit Card Interest Rates Above 30% Per Annum - Supreme Court Upholds RBI's Exclusive Jurisdiction.

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Full Text of the Document

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....The SC held that the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission lacks jurisdiction to interfere with banking operations, which is the exclusive statutory domain of the RBI. It cannot fix a maximum ceiling rate of interest for banks to charge credit card holders or direct banks to charge interest not exceeding 30% p.a., in absence of RBI instructions. Charging interest rates as per RBI circulars/notifications, independent of a standard ceiling, does not constitute an unfair trade practice. The terms of a contract between parties cannot be judicially scrutinized unless arbitrary, discriminatory or mala fide. The impugned judgment interfered with contractual terms and the RBI's regulatory powers, hence was set aside.....