India, Sept. 20 -- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed the removal of Maharashtra cooperation minister Babasaheb Patil from the board of the Latur District Central Cooperative Bank (DCCB), holding that his continued tenure as a director violated the statutory limit on the continuous tenure of a bank director.

The action follows a complaint alleging that Patil and seven other directors had exceeded the permissible tenure under the Banking Regulation Act. While the other seven directors resigned after the RBI sought their responses, Patil continued in office. He has rejected the RBI's decision as "improper" and said he would challenge it before the high court.

The RBI action is being seen as a major embarrassment for the Mahayuti...