ORDER :

1. The petitioner, a widow, aged 73 years knocks the doors of this Court, alleging lack of sympathy or even empathy, on the part of the respondent/Canara Bank, a State under Article 12 of the Constitution of India (‘the Bank’ for short) in recovering Rs. 6,40,329/- from out of the family pension account of the petitioner and seeks a direction by issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus, directing re-credit of the said amount.

2. Heard Sri Yogesh Naik, learned counsel for Sri B.O. Anil Kumar, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner and Sri T.P. Muthanna, learned counsel appearing for respondent/Bank.

3. Shorn of unnecessary details, the facts in brief, are as follows:

The petitioner is an account holder in the respondent/Bank and is a recipient of family pension from its hands. The husband of the petitioner one R.V. Pawar was working as a Technical Assistant Executive Engineer at Chief Engineer, C&B (S) Office, Government of Karnataka and retired from service on 31.05.2002. The said Government servant was having a regular pension account at Vishveshwarnagar Branch, Hubli of the erstwhile Syndicate Bank, which is now merged with the Bank. Till the end of February, 2019 R