HC notice to SBI on former employee''s plea for pension

Chennai, Jan 14 (PTI) Madras High Court today orderednotice to State Bank of India authorities on a petition fileda 56-year-old cancer patient challenging the bank''s rejectionof her claim for pension after voluntary retirement.

Justice K.Suguna ordered notice to respondents returnablein three weeks.

In her petition, Premila Kiruba Augustus of Bangalore, whohad joined the bank in March 1974 and was transferred to abranch here, submitted while she had gone on leave forpersonal reasons, the bank on March 31, 1999 ordered that shehad voluntarily retired from service.

The mandatory notice was not issued to her, she said. Shehad completed 24 years of pensionable service.

She said though the bank has settled the gratuity and PFin 2005, till date, there was no answer for her demand forpension. As per rules, she had completed over 20 years ofpensionable service.

When the bank had invoked the deeming provision ofvoluntary cessation of work and she had fulfilled therequirements of pension rules, non-payment of pension wasillegal, she contended.