The High Court of Tripura has fined ₹50,000 to the Branch Manager of the State Bank of India (SBI), Kunjaban branch, for wrongly stopping the pension of a retired CRPF jawan. The amount of the fine shall be deducted from the salary of the SBI branch manager and deposited by challan to the government treasury.
What Happened?
Mahesh Lal Yadav, a retired jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), had been receiving his monthly pension through the SBI Kunjaban branch after his retirement on December 31, 2012. However, starting from April 2022, his pension payments were suddenly stopped without any explanation.
When Yadav asked for an explanation, he was told that the pension had been stopped based on instructions from an inquiry officer. This officer was apparently investigating a criminal case against him.
But here’s the important part: Yadav had already been found “not guilty” and was acquitted of all charges before April 2022. So, there was no valid reason to stop his pension. After trying to contact the bank and the regional manager without any success, Yadav decided to approach the High Court for justice.
The High Court found the bank at fault and said the pension was stopped illegally. The court held the Branch Manager personally responsible and ordered a fine of ₹50,000. The court also directed that this fine should be cut directly from the Branch Manager’s salary and deposited into the government treasury as a punishment.
