The commission, also comprising member Rumnita Mittal, issued notices to the Collection Manager of ICICI and the CEO of the recovery agency, seeking their explanations for the blatant violation of the direction of the highest court of the nation.

ICICI, however, refused to own up the act, contending that the agents were employed separately by the recovery agency and it could not be held culpable for any such act as it had asked the agency to conduct themselves in accordance with the law.

Quashing the bank's argument, the commission said: "For every illegal acts of the collection agency, the bank is directly liable."

The court also ruled that the consumer had no concern with the internal agreement between the bank and any other agency and they could not be made to pay the price for it.

It termed the musclemen as 'robbers and hardened criminals', who beat up a consumer for recovering a few thousand rupees, snatch the key of a vehicle and take it away little realising the urgency or the emergency of the person.

"They insult everyone, humiliate the inmates and create scene. They have driven people to commit suicide for a few thousands," the commission said.

It maintained that there was a civil legal remedy for recovering loans and employing goons for this was a beyond the parameter of the law.