A Madurai-based student has approached the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court seeking direction to the State Bank of India (SBI) to reconsider her application for an education loan after the same had been rejected by the bank citing her parents' CIBIL score.

The petitioner, one R Gayathri of Madurai, submitted that she had scored 977 marks in her Class XII board examination and joined BSc, Aircraft Maintenance Science in a private college in Coimbatore in 2017. Since she was unable to avail scholarship from both the college as well as the Coimbatore district administration, she applied for Vidya Lakshmi education loan, a scheme introduced by the Central government, at the Othakadai branch of the said bank. But her application had been rejected on May 9, 2019 citing that the CIBIL score of both her father and mother was low.

Stating that her father, a corporation worker, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and is on medical leave since 2018, Gayathri said that she would not be able to pursue her education if the educational loan is not sanctioned. Justice M Sundar, who heard the plea, criticised the bank and adjourned the case to September 16 for further hearing. Both the Principal Seat and the High Court Bench has passed several orders against the rejection of education loan to students over CIBIL score of family members.