India, June 16 -- The Supreme Court has come down heavily on the State Bank of India (SBI) and other banks for subjecting ordinary borrowers to what it described as "borderline harassment" while processing small loans even as they remain "casual" in sanctioning massive loans to larger entities that often end up defaulting.

A bench of justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan said it was increasingly noticing a troubling pattern in the banking sector where stringent scrutiny was reserved for individuals seeking loans for personal needs, whereas large-value loans appeared to be sanctioned with inadequate assessment of repayment capacity.

"We indicate that it is coming to the notice of the Court that the banks in general, including res...