THE FEDERAL BANK LTD Vs. SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ petition has been filed by the petitioner seeking a direction to respondents 1 and 2 to ensure that respondents 3 to 6 or any other person under them do not cause any obstruction to the smooth conduct of the Annual General Body Meeting of its shareholders, scheduled to be held at 10.00 a.m. on 14.07.2017 at the Municipal Town Hall, Aluva, or obstructing the delegates.

(2.) The petitioner was provoked to file this writ petition mainly on account of Exhibit P1, a report that appeared in a newspaper on 11.07.2017 that the employees of the Bank are going to organize a convention in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi erected in front of the Municipal Town Hall, Aluva, where the Annual General Body Meeting is scheduled to take place. The convention, apparently, is to register the protest of the employees of the Bank against the policy changes in the petitioner Bank. The petitioner refers to Exhibit P2, a photograph of an apparently similar protest on an earlier occasion. It is stated that apprehending that the convention is designed to disrupt the Annual General Body Meeting, petitioner submitted Exhibit P3 complaint before the first respondent seeking his intervention for the smooth conduct of the Annual General Body Meeting as also for ensuring the ingress and egress of the participants and their safety. According to the petitioner, unless this court issues appropriate directions, the police may not act on Exhibit P3 and the result would be disruption to the Annual General Body Meeting. It is in these circumstances the writ petition is filed.

(3.) We heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Government Pleader appearing for respondents 1 and 2.