KOSHI PUNJABI Vs. BANK OF BARODA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present petition is filed by the petitioner praying inter alia for directions to the respondent bank to reverse the debit of a sum of Rs.17,110/- made in the savings bank account of the petitioner in August, 2001, without any authority from the petitioner and to direct the respondent to refund the said amount alongwith interest thereon.

(2.) Briefly stated, the facts of the case are that the petitioner was an employee of the respondent, a public sector bank (hereinafter referred to as 'the respondent bank') and was last working as an officer with the said bank, before she took voluntary retirement and was relieved from the employment of respondent bank on 31.3.2001. Prior to taking voluntary retirement, the petitioner submitted an application to the respondent bank on 8.12.2000, for grant of privilege leave for a period of 12 days i.e. from 26.12.2000 to 6.1.2001. However, the request made for privilege leave was refused by the respondent bank by making the following observations:-

(3.) As per the leave rules of the respondent bank, privilege leave could be accumulated up to not more than 240 days except where leave had been applied for and it had been refused. As the privilege leave of the petitioner was refused by the respondent bank on account of exigencies, the respondent no.2 branch of the bank in which the petitioner was working, applied to the Regional Office for accumulation of leave beyond 240 days. The said request was, however rejected by the Regional Office vide its letter dated 29.12.2000. In the meantime, the application of the petitioner for voluntary retirement was processed and she was relieved from the employment of the respondent bank on 31.3.2001 and the matter rested there.