The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal by Canara Bank against a Single Bench order that overturned the dismissal of a senior bank manager. The court found that the only proven issues were procedural lapses, with no evidence of any undue advantage gained by the manager.
S. V. Mothilal began his career at Canara Bank as an Agricultural Extension Officer in 1982 and was promoted over the years, eventually becoming a Senior Manager in 2007. He served as the Branch Manager at the Pudur Branch in Madurai from August 2007 to July 2009, during which he sanctioned several loans to self-help groups. He was transferred on July 27, 2009.
On July 13, 2013, a charge memo was issued against him, alleging that his lapses exposed the bank to a potential financial loss of ₹1.66 crore. Despite being asked to provide an explanation within fifteen days, an inquiry began on July 17 and was completed by July 18. His representative submitted a brief on July 20, and the inquiry officer’s report was submitted on July 23. The disciplinary authority agreed with the findings and dismissed Mothilal on July 27.
Mothilal’s subsequent appeal to the appellate authority was dismissed, and the reviewing authority also declined to intervene. He then filed a petition in the High Court, which was upheld by a Single Bench in 2020. In response, the Bank Management appealed this decision.
A Division Bench, consisting of Justices G. R. Swaminathan and P. Vadamalai, noted that disciplinary proceedings of this nature typically take several months. They emphasized the adage, “Justice hurried is justice buried,” pointing out that it was unreasonable for the proceedings to be concluded fairly within two weeks. The court stated that the process in this case could not be deemed fair, and due to the four-year delay between the occurrence and the charge memo issuance, the appeal was dismissed.
