S SRIKANTH JOSHI CHIEF EXECUTIVE ALADANGADY VYAVASA SEVA SAHAKARI BANK Vs. BOARD OF MANAGEMENT OF ALADANGADY VYAVASA SEVA SAHAKARI BANK

JUDGEMENT

(1.) PETITIONER is a person, who was working as Chief Executive of Aladangady Vyavasaya Seva sahahaki Bank, Aladangady, Belathangadi taluk, Dakshina Kannada district. It appears there were complaints of harassment of women workers in the bank by the petitioner and in this context as per the directions of the second respondent - Karnataka State Women's Commission the board of Management of the first respondent-bank had constituted a committee for complaints against sexual harassment at work place and one Ms Asha Nayak, an Advocate, headed the committee. It also transpires that a good number of members of the committee were drawn from the staff of the very bank and the very branch also.

(2.) WHEN the committee had been constituted, the petitioner was a little apprehensive of the composition of the committee and in this regard he had approached this Court by filing WP No 20515 of 2005, seeking for a declaration that the directions issued by the second respondent-commission to the first respondent management of the bank to constitute a committee to hold an enquiry into the complaints of the fourth respondent-complainant to be illegal and without jurisdiction and also for quashing the resolution of the bank dated 10-3-2005, constituting such committee. The petitioner had also sought for quashing of the entire proceedings of the committee and other prayers. The main ground urged therein was that several members of the committee were persons who were prejudiced against the petitioner, particularly as they were themselves complainants against the petitioner and moreover had participated in some demonstrations held for condemning the attitude and the oppressive acts on the part of the petitioner.

(3.) HOWEVER, this Court while permitting the petitioner to withdraw the writ petition and dismissed it without going into the merits, but recorded the request of the petitioner that he may be permitted to give representations not only to the second respondent-commission but also to the State of Karnataka, Department of Co-operation, Bangalore, and dismissed the writ petition as withdrawn, reserving such liberty sought for by the petitioner.