VIKRANT THAKUR Vs. STATE BANK OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This petition is filed against an action of State Bank of India, respondent No. 1 herein by which the application of the petitioner for giving appointment on compassionate ground came to be rejected.

(2.) The case of the petitioner was that he was born on 20th July, 1977. His mother Smt. Susheela Thakur was serving with the Bank. She was working with the Bank at Theog and served for about fifteen years. While in service, she died on 20th September, 1988. It is the case of the petitioner that after death of his mother, his father got remarried in 1989. The petitioner was getting pension of Rs. 875 which was subsequently reduced to Rs. 469. The petitioner made an application to the respondent -Bank for giving an appointment on compassionate ground. The said application, however, was rejected by the respondent -Bank on the ground that it was not made within one year from the death of the mother of the petitioner. The said action is challenged in this writ petition.

(3.) Learned Counsel for the petitioner vehemently contended that the action of the respondent -Bank is arbitrary, unreasonable and violative of Articles 14,19 and 21 of the Constitution. It was stated that the petitioner attained the age of majority only in 1995. He could not, therefore, make an application within a period of one year, as required by the Rules of the Bank nor within a period of four years. According to him, after attaining the age of majority in 1995, the petitioner made an application, but it was rejected only on limitation, which was illegal. He, therefore, submitted that an appropriate direction may be issued to the respondent -Bank to consider the case of the petitioner on merits. It was also submitted that after the death of petitioners mother, his father has remarried and, orally, it was stated by the learned Counsel at the time of hearing that the father of the petitioner is not maintaining him. If the application is not ordered to be considered sympathetically the petitioner is deprived of father as well as mother and income from them. It was, therefore, submitted that the petition deserves to be allowed.