What the records show about Amanath
An Amanath credit society in Davanagere is a name people mention, but anyone who mentions it should be able to give a registration number and the registrar’s entry that goes with it. Until they do, treat the existence of this society, its registration date and its activities as unproven. Davanagere is also spelt Davangere.
Small co-operatives are sometimes missing from online listings, and some registers are hard to search, so a missing listing does not prove that a society is false. A reader who is asked to deposit money or buy shares still has nothing independent to rely on until the society provides proof, and should ask for it.
The Amanath that does appear in RBI notices is a different body, the Amanath Co-operative Bank Ltd. in Bengaluru. Mixing the two up is easy, and the confusion has real consequences, because the bank has been under restrictions from the Reserve Bank of India. The later sections set out the difference.
It also helps to ask where the name came from. If a relative, an agent or a social media post mentioned the society, ask for the registration certificate before any money changes hands. A society with nothing to hide can show it in minutes, and one that cannot is telling you something important.
What the Karnataka registrar listing contains
The Karnataka Registrar of Cooperative Societies is the office to ask. It is at No. 1 Ali Asker Road, Bengaluru 560052, and the telephone number is 080 22252036.
A general directory of registrars cannot tell you whether a particular society exists. Only the registrar’s own entry for the society can answer that, so ask the office to confirm it.
The National Cooperative Database is the first place to check. You can search it by name, state and district. If a society of this name exists in Davanagere district, that kind of search is where it should appear.
Souharda societies around Davangere
Davangere is described as one of nine places where Jamaat-linked interest-free Souharda societies work in Karnataka, in a 2025 description. The other places named are Bidar, Kalburgi, Raichur, Bellary, Ilkal, Bhatkal, Udupi and Mangalore. That description gives no name for the society in Davangere and does not mention Amanath.
These societies are registered under the Karnataka Souharda Sahakari Act, 1997, and the state Registrar of Co-operatives supervises them. They are not banks licensed by the Reserve Bank of India. If a society in Davanagere calls itself Amanath, it would most likely be registered under that state law, and its registration should be checkable with the registrar.
Do not guess from the name alone. Amanath is a word used by many unrelated organisations, so a matching name proves nothing about ownership, religion-based practice or safety.
The Amanath Co-operative Bank in Bengaluru
The Amanath Co-operative Bank Ltd. is an urban co-operative bank in Bengaluru and is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. Its history is public and has been difficult. In 2013 the RBI placed it under directions issued under Section 35A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, effective from the close of business on 1 April 2013. Those directions were withdrawn with effect from 3 January 2020.
In 2013 irregular transactions of about Rs 110 crore were alleged, along with a dispute involving a founder who was also a politician. In March 2014 a merger with Canara Bank was said to have been approved by a Karnataka government department. Ask Canara Bank or the Karnataka government whether that merger was completed, and do not assume it took place.
The gap between the 2020 withdrawal and the 2024 directions is itself informative. A bank can leave supervisory restrictions and later return to them, which shows that a lifted order is not a permanent clean bill of health. If you read about the first set of directions, check its date and look for the RBI’s latest notice.
Restrictions imposed in 2024 and extended in 2026
New RBI directions took effect from the close of business on 12 June 2024. Under them the bank may not grant loans, accept fresh deposits or make investments without RBI approval. Each depositor can withdraw no more than Rs 60,000 across all accounts. The RBI gave its reasons as poor financial condition, large accumulated losses, negative net worth and governance issues linked to a one-time settlement scheme.
The RBI stated that these directions are not a cancellation of the licence. The bank therefore remains a licensed institution, but under tight limits.
An RBI notice dated 8 September 2026 extended the directions to the close of business on 12 December 2026, subject to review. The RBI added that the extension should not be read as a sign that it is satisfied with the bank’s financial position. Anyone relying on this information after 12 December 2026 should check the RBI’s latest notice.
For a depositor in the bank, the Rs 60,000 limit is a cap across all accounts together, not for each account. Anyone with savings there should ask the bank about the DICGC cover of up to Rs 5 lakh and keep the latest RBI notice at hand. Those with questions about their own balance should speak to the bank directly and, if needed, use the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, which handles complaints against banks.
Bank, credit society and why the difference matters
An urban co-operative bank answers to the RBI for banking matters. Deposits in such a bank are insured by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation up to Rs 5 lakh per depositor. A Souharda credit society sits under the state registrar and is not a licensed bank, so the bank-style safeguards do not automatically apply to it.
The practical rule is to find out which kind of body you are dealing with before you place money. Ask whether the organisation holds a banking licence, which registrar supervises it, and which law governs it. A bank can be checked in RBI notices. A Souharda society can be checked with the state registrar.
A person who hears that Amanath in Davanagere is safe because Amanath is a bank, or unsafe because the Bengaluru bank faces limits, is drawing a conclusion from a shared name. Neither conclusion follows from a shared name.
How to check an Amanath credit society in Davanagere before you deposit
Ask the people running the society for the full registered name, the registration number and the registrar’s office that issued it. Write them down. Then contact the Karnataka Registrar using the details given above and ask them to confirm the entry. Write down the answer and the date, so you can compare it with what the society tells you.
Request the latest audited accounts, the bye-laws and the list of directors. Look for a matching postal address in Davanagere and compare it with the one on any receipt you are given. Genuine societies can usually produce these documents quickly. Visit the address in person if you can, and note the name shown on the door and on any signboard.
Be wary of promises of fixed or high returns on an interest-free product, pressure to deposit cash quickly, or receipts that do not carry the full registered name. Whether any product is permissible under Islamic rules is for a qualified scholar or Sharia adviser to say, not for the society.
If you suspect an unauthorised deposit scheme, report it on the RBI Sachet portal. Cases of online fraud go to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or helpline 1930.