JUDGMENT :

Jeevan Reddy, J.—The Imperial Bank of India constituted under the Imperial Bank of India Act, 1920, was taken over and succeeded by the State Bank of India, established under the State Bank of India Act, 1955. The conditions of service under the Bank are governed by the various rules and regulations made both prior to 1955 and continued thereafter, as well as those made after 1955. According to Rule 20 of the State Bank of India (Supervising Staff) Service Rules, " an employee shall retire from the service of the Bank on attaining the age of 58 years or upon the completion of thirty years' pensionable service, whichever occurs first". The first proviso to the said Rule reserves a power in the Bank to extend the period of service of an employee beyond 58 years of age, while the second proviso entitles the employee to retire voluntarily from the Bank's service on completion of 25 years' pensionable service. So far as pension is concerned, it is governed by the Imperial Bank of India Employees' Pension and Guarantee Fund Rules and Regulations. According to these Rules, the pension has to be contributed both by the employee and by the Bank, and it is payable to an employee co