Judgment

M. Jagannadha Rao, J. - Leave granted.

2. This appeal is preferred by the State Bank of India, Bombay, its Deputy Managing Director (Appellate Authority), Bombay and the Chief General Manager (Disciplinary Authority), Madras against the judgment of the Division Bench of the Madras High Court in W.A. No. 490 of 1998. By that judgment, the Division Bench confirmed the judgment of the learned Single Judge in O.P. No. 10222 of 1991 dated 7.1.1998.

3. The brief facts of the case are as follows:

The respondent joined service in the Bank of Cochin (the Bank has since been amalgamated with the State Bank of India w.e.f. 27.4.85) on 1.11.1996 and was promoted as an officer and then as Manager of the Madras Branch of the Bank of Cochin. The disciplinary action initiated against him related to 1977-1981 when he was working as Manager at Madras. On 25.8.81, he was transferred to Calcutta. He received let­ters of commendation dated 10.3.83 and 16.4.84 and his Branch at Calcutta stood at No. 1 in the matter of mobilisation of advances. It appears that some advances given by him while working as Manager at Madras during 1977-1981 could not be recovered and hence on 4.2.84, he was reposted at