RUGMINI GANESH Vs. STATE BANK OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Rule, made returnable forthwith and heard finally with the consent of the parties.

(2.) The Petitioner has approached this Court seeking a direction that she be granted pension. There can be no dispute about the facct that the Petitioner was appointed as a clerk on 01/09/1980 on probation. The Petitioner was thereafter confirmed on 01/03/1981. It seems that she took voluntary retirement under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) on 31/03/2001. There is no dispute about the fact that the Petitioner is not denied pension on the ground that she has taken the benefit of VRS. The denial of pension is on the touchstone of Rule 22 of the State Bank of India Employees' Pension Fund Rules. The said Rule reads thus:

(3.) The reading of the said Rule discloses that the person is entitled to pension after completing 20 years of service and if he has attained 50 years or if he is in service of the bank on or after having completed twenty years' pensionable service provided that he has attained the age of fifty years or if he is in the service of the Bank on or after 1.11.93, after having completed ten years pensionable service provided that he has attained the age of fifty eight years or if he is in the service of the Bank on or after 22.05.1998, after having completed ten years pensionable service provided or he has attained the age of sixty years. The said Rule had come up for consideration in a case which can be said to be identical to the case in hand before the Division Bench of the Madras High Court in W.A. No. 1483 of 2014. The Judgment of the Division Bench of the Madras High Court is dated 16/02/2015.