The Madras High Court has lauded the State Bank of India (SBI) for implementing the Court Deposit Accounts Management System-Tamil Nadu (CDAMS-TN), a system designed to monitor and manage the substantial sums deposited by motor vehicle insurance companies and other entities into court-maintained bank accounts across Tamil Nadu.The special Division Bench, comprising Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and Krishnan Ramasamy, expressed their appreciation to SBI counsel Chevanan Mohan, Deputy General Manager Virender Kumar Verma, and Assistant General Manager V. Prabhakar for their pivotal role in creating the CDAMS-TN system. This initiative came in response to issues stemming from a Pattukottai district court staff member misappropriating ₹1.5 crore from such accounts.
The High Court had initiated a suo motu writ petition upon discovering that large amounts of unclaimed funds were lying idle in court-managed bank accounts across the state. The absence of a proper system to track and manage these deposits had contributed to cases of misappropriation.
The court subsequently issued a series of directives aimed at rectifying these irregularities and streamlining the maintenance of these accounts. CDAMS-TN, as a technological intervention, is expected to bring transparency and accountability to the management of court deposits, ensuring better oversight of the inflow and outflow of funds.
The implementation of CDAMS-TN marks a significant step toward preventing future misappropriation and ensuring the proper handling of funds deposited with courts throughout Tamil Nadu.