Under Section 21 of the Payment and Settlement Systems

Solution

Explanation: Section 21 of the PSSA, 2007 outlines the duties of a system provider, including: "to publish and disclose to the system participants and to such other persons and in such manner as may be prescribed, the terms, conditions and procedures relating to the operation of the payment system and any change therein." This duty is mandatory and unqualified. Additionally, Section 20 requires system providers to "disclose to the system participants, in such manner as may be prescribed, the terms and conditions governing their participation in the system, including any charges levied and the limitations of liabilities as approved by the Reserve Bank." The Clearing Corporation's failure to disclose prioritization logic violates Section 21. The statute envisions transparency enabling system participants to understand settlement mechanics and plan accordingly. Undisclosed prioritization creates information asymmetry and potentially unfair treatment. While operational optimization (transaction prioritization) may be permissible, it must be: (i) disclosed to all participants; (ii) applied uniformly according to disclosed criteria; (iii) not result in arbitrary discrimination. The smaller bank's complaint establishes both lack of disclosure and differential treatment. Section 26(3) penalizes failure to furnish required statements/information: fine up to ₹10 lakhs per offence, and ₹25,000 per day for continued failure. Thus, option (B) correctly applies Section 21's disclosure duty.