LI Network
Published on: December 13, 2023 at 11:31 IST
The Allahabad High Court has affirmed the dismissal of a Head Cashier at UCO Bank in a money laundering case, highlighting the elevated responsibilities and credibility expected from bank employees.
The bench, comprising Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Om Prakash Shukla, emphasized that the responsibilities in banking entail a higher level of trust and confidence, making the punishment of dismissal proportionate in cases of financial misuse.
The appellant, who served as the Head Cashier at UCO Bank, faced suspension in 2011 over allegations of entering unauthorized debit voucher entries amounting to Rs. 21.5 lakhs in the account of Zila Panchayat Raj Adhikari, Jaunpur.
The court observed that in matters of banking, the responsibility and credibility of individuals are significantly higher, demanding utmost devotion to duty.
The appellant argued that the Bank Manager, by dominating him, misused his password and ID for the fraudulent transactions. However, the court found the appellant solely responsible for the misuse, emphasizing that the secrecy of passwords and IDs is the legal and moral duty of bank employees.
The court noted that the appellant failed to report the misuse to higher authorities, and his admission of sharing the password with the Branch Manager implicated him in the incident.
The judgment cited precedents, including Chairman & Managing Director, United Commercial Bank v. P.C. Kakkar and Canara Bank v. V.K. Awasthy, emphasizing the higher standards of honesty and integrity expected from bank officers.
It concluded that the punishment of dismissal was valid, given the proven charges and the failure of the appellant to discharge his duties with utmost integrity.
The court highlighted that superior courts typically refrain from interfering with the quantum of punishment unless it is disproportionately severe.
In this case, considering the banking context and the substantiated charges, the court deemed the dismissal from service as an appropriate and proportionate response.
The decision was reached in the case titled Nagendra Kumar Pandey v. General Manager UCO Bank Hazratganj Lucknow And Ors. [Special Appeal 65/2019].
