MEERA MAHARISHI Vs. VIJAYA BANK

JUDGEMENT

(1.) BY this writ petition, the petitioner who is the widow of late Sh. Laxmi Narain; an employee of the respondent-bank; seeks that respondent should give ex-gratia payment to the petitioner in accordance with its scheme. Respondent-bank previously had a scheme of compassionate appointment in case of death of an employee in harness, and which was substituted by the extant scheme of grant of ex-gratia payment. Late Sh. Laxmi Narain was working as a telephone operator with the respondent- bank.

(2.) THE respondent-bank has filed its counter-affidavit. Alongwith the counter-affidavit the scheme in question, application which was filed by the petitioner for grant of ex-gratia payment and a certificate of the SHO (P.S.Najafgarh) have been filed.

(3.) AS per the scheme in question, benefit of ex-gratia payment cannot be granted in case the employee has committed suicide. A reference to the application filed by the petitioner shows that it is written that the employee Laxmi Narain died because of heart failure. Besides the fact that no certificate was attached to show heart failure, the respondent-bank has filed a certificate of Station House Officer (SHO) of P.S.Najafgarh which shows that Late Laxmi Narain had consumed some poisonous substance. This certificate reads as under:-