Madras High Court ne haal hi mein is baat par zor diya ki public bank ke employees ko honesty and integrity ka bahut dhyaan rakhna chahiye, khaaskar jab woh customer aur public ke paise se deal kar rahe hote hain. Court ne bank ke employee ke khilaaf liye gaye disciplinary action ka support kiya hai, yeh kehkar ki uski galti ne public ka trust toda hai aur di gayi saza bilkul sahi thi.
Case Ka Background
State Bank of India (SBI) ne ek pehle ke court order ke khilaaf appeal ki thi. Yeh order 7 February 2020 ka tha, jisme ek employee, Palaniappan, ko job se nikalne ke decision ko hata diya gaya tha aur bank ko us employee ko wapas lene ka order diya tha, full financial benefits ke saath jab tak wo retire nahi ho jata.
Palaniappan, jo SBI ke Karaikudi branch mein clerk aur assistant tha, ke khilaaf fraud ke kai complaints saamne aaye the. Kuch main allegations yeh the:
- Ek customer, B. Ghouse Miyan, ke naam pe Rs. 15,000 ka cheque fraudulently encash karna aur paisa unhe na dena.
- Dusra cheque, Rs. 4,000 ka, bina payee ki jaanakari ke encash karna.
- Ek aur cheque, Rs. 9,000 ka, 5 mahine tak apne paas rakhna bina use bank mein jama kiye.
Disciplinary Action
Jab bank ne Palaniappan ke khilaaf fraud ke allegations par internal investigation shuru ki, to unhone 5 alag-alag charges mein se 4 charges mein use guilty paya. Yeh charges customer ke paise ka galat use karne aur apni duties ko theek se nahi nibhaane se jude the. Iske baad, bank ne use apni job se direct dismiss kar diya, matlab ki uska kaam poori tarah se khatam kar diya gaya aur ab use further koi benefits nahi milne wale the.
Lekin, Palaniappan ne is faisle ke khilaaf appeal ki. Uski appeal ka base yeh tha ki itne saalon tak kaam karne ke baad bhi use itni harsh punishment di gayi hai, jo use khudke liye unfair lagti thi. Is appeal ko sunte hue bank ki appellate authority ne thoda narmi dikhayi. Unhone Palaniappan ke 14 saal ke lambe kaam ka record dekha, jo kuch had tak theek tha, aur punishment ko thoda reduce kar diya.
Bank ne phir Palaniappan ko discharge from service ka tag de diya record me, jo dismissal se thoda different hai.
Discharge ka matlab hota hai ki use service se hata diya gaya, lekin usko kuch benefits diya ja sakte hain.
Legal Challenge
Palaniappan ne in dono faislon ko court mein challenge kiya, aur writ court ne uske favour mein decison diya, yeh kehkar ki disciplinary process mein procedural issues the. Uske baad SBI ne appeal file ki, yeh argue karte hue ki writ court ne apne adhikaar ke bahar jaake unke faisle mein interrupt kiya hai. Bank ne yeh bhi bataya ki asli complainant ne paisa milne ke baad apni shikayat wapas le li thi, lekin Palaniappan ke fraud ke saboot saaf the.
Court Ka Faisla
Justices Dr. Anita Sumanth aur G. Arul Murugan ki bench ne bank ke point ko theek maana. Unhone ye saaf kiya ki internal bank inquiries mein strict legal rules ko hamesha follow nahi kiya jata, aur documents ne Palaniappan ke fraud ko saabit kiya. Cashier ke payment records aur original cheque se saboot mil gaye the ki Palaniappan ne paise ka misuse kiya hai. Use apne bachaav ka poora chance mila tha, lekin wo koi valid explanation nahi de paya.
Court ne yeh bhi kaha ki banking sector mein honesty and trust bahut zaroori hain, kyunki employees public ke paise ke sath deal karte hain. Is case mein charges itne serious the ki court ne bank ka original decision wapas laakar Palaniappan ko service se discharge kar diya.
Conclusion
Court ne yeh dobara reaffirm kiya ki public bank employees ke liye honesty aur trust sabse zaroori qualities hain. Is case mein bank ka disciplinary action bilkul justified tha, aur yeh public confidence banaye rakhne ke liye zaroori thi.
