B. DEEPA Vs. JOINT REGISTRAR (GENERAL)

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner says that she retired as Secretary of the 2nd respondent-the Neendoor Service Co-operative Bank Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as 'the Bank' for short) on 31/05/2017 and that even though she is entitled to an amount of Rs.20,13,393/- as full gratuity, she has been paid only Rs.10 lakhs by the Bank, presumably because the ceiling under the Payment of Gratuity Act was the said figure and that the Bank may have been under the impression that no amounts over this figure can be given to their employees.

(2.) The petitioner says that these issues have been now squarely covered by a full bench judgment of this Court in Chandrasekharan Nair G. and Others v. Kerala State Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank Ltd. and Others [2017 (4) KLT 276] and by a subsequent single bench judgment in Jayarajan V. Kozhikode District Co-operative Bank [2019(3)KHC 239].

(3.) The petitioner further asserts that the Life Insurance Corporation of India-the 3rd respondent herein has paid an amount of Rs.20,13,393/- to the Bank under the Group Gratuity Insurance Scheme and therefore, that going by the judgment in Jayarajan (supra), the Bank cannot retain the balance amount any further. The petitioner, therefore, prays that the respondent-Bank be directed to pay her the balance amount, along with 6% interest, as ordered in Chandrasekharan Nair G. (supra) forthwith.