V KALPANA Vs. BRANCH MANAGER

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The Bank Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Ordinance, 1969 was promulgated on 19.07.1969, followed by Act 5 of 1970. The Preamble of the Act reads as follows :

(2.) Even before the first nationalization of 14 Banks in the year 1969 and the second nationalization of 6 Banks in the year 1980, the Imperial Bank was nationalised in 1955, making it the State Bank of India/the first respondent herein. The object of the nationalization, inter alia, is to "serve better".

(3.) The petitioners are wife and son of one Natarajan, who professed Advocacy from the year 1987. When he was a bachelor, he opened a Public Provident Fund Scheme Account bearing Account No.10150944952 in Pass Book No.1015 with the first respondent on 24.03.1995 for a period of fifteen years making his mother as nominee. His mother died on 23.10.1999. During 2010 and 2015, he extended the account for another five years. He died on 28.07.2017 leaving behind the petitioners as his legal heirs. The first petitioner approached the first respondent making a claim with respect to the amount lying in the said account. She was asked to submit a claim form with certain documents, which she had complied with on 04.11.2017. It is stated that the first respondent forwarded the same to the Claims Department of the respondent Bank on 07.11.2017. After repeated solicitation, on 09.01.2018, she was given a copy of communication sent to the first respondent by the Regional Manager (RBO-I), returning the proposal. Though she made another representation on 12.02.2018, the first respondent gave a bald reply asking her to produce the letter of administration. The representation submitted to the Regional Manager (RBO-I) thereafter on 17.03.2018 did not yield any response at all till date. Hence, seeking a direction to the first respondent to release the amount standing to the credit of the said account, the petitioners filed this writ petition before this Court.