Retd bank staff gets relief as probe restrained in certificate validity case

By Express News Service  |   Published: 26th November 2017 07:43 AM  |  

CHENNAI: Coming to the rescue of a retired bank employee, the Madras High Court has restrained DSP, SC/ST Vigilance Cell, from holding an enquiry to ascertain the genuineness of the community certificate produced by him, five years after retirement.

A division bench of Justices C T Selvam and M V Muralidharan granted the injunction while passing interim orders on a petition from A Jayaraman of Sundapalayam in Coimbatore on November 23 last. The bench also issued notice to the authorities concerned, returnable in two weeks.

According to advocate Yogesh Kannadasan, Jayaraman was appointed as a probationary officer in State Bank of India under ST quota in 1980. He retired as manager of Ambattur Industrial Estate branch in February 2012 and the retirement benefits were settled. He was drawing pension. During service, his employer, by a circular dated January 13, 1998, had called upon various ST employees to produce another community certificate authenticated by the respective District Collectors. The ST Employees Welfare Association moved the Madras High Court, which in July 2005 had quashed the circular.

While so, by a letter dated May 23 last, the DSP, SC/ST Vigilance Cell, informed Jayaraman to appear before the cell on June 9 last. By a letter dated June 10, the petitioner asked for a copy of a communication dated February 14, 2017, based on which the letter was issued, to defend his case effectively. However, the DSP, without acceding the request, told him to appear before him on June 12.

Yogesh wondered under what authority the enquiry was to be commenced, in the absence of any adverse material to show to the contrary. It could not be done so after a lapse of five years from the date of his retirement, that too after the High Court quashing a similar circular, Yogesh contended and sought to quash the June 9 communication.