Transfer of an employee is an administrative incident of service. Courts will not interfere with such orders unless they are proven to be mala fide, issued by an incompetent authority, or in direct violation of mandatory statutory provisions, as internal policies remain merely directory.

JUDGMENT :

YARENJUNGLA LONGKUMER, J.

The instant application under Article 226 of the Constitution of India has been filed by the petitioner challenging the e-mail Letter dated 15.11.2025, issued by the respondent no. 5/Deputy Manager, Strategic HR & HR Operations, Bank of Baroda; the impugned e-mail Letter dated 15.11.2025, issued by the respondent no. 6/AGM & Regional Head, Regional Office, Jorhat and the impugned Relieving Order dated 15.11.2025, issued by the respondent no. 7/Chief Manager, Bank of Baroda, Dimapur, Nagaland, respectively.

2. The brief facts leading to the filing of this instant petition is that the petitioner was initially appointed as JM1 in the Bank of Baroda on 11.09.2012 and since then he has been continuously rendering his service to the respondent bank without any break. After about 4 (four) years of service, the petitioner was promoted as MM2 in the respondent bank in the year 2016. The petitioner was promoted again in the year 2021 as MM3 and was posted in Jorhat and thereafter transferred to Dimapur and presently the petitioner is holding the post of Senior Branch Manager, Dimapur VB Branch, Dimapur, Nagaland.

3. While the petitioner was posted in Jorhat, Assam, the petitioner had applied for exemption from Inter Zonal Transfer (IZT for short) in the month of April 2025 through the official portal of the respondent bank on the ground of his wife’s advanced stage of pregnancy and accordingly, the respondent bank exempted the petitioner from transfer under the IZT exercises for the year 2025-2026. Thereafter, the petitioner was transferred to Dimapur as Senior Branch Manager, Dimapur VB Branch of the Baroda Bank and accordingly, he joined the new place of posting on 15.07.2025.

4. At this stage, the respondent no. 5/Deputy Manager, Strategic HR & HR Operations, Bank of Baroda, Head Office on 15.11.2025, sent an e- mail to the respondent no. 3/Regional Manager, Bank of Baroda, Regional Head, Jorhat Region to transfer the petitioner from Dimapur VB Branch, Nagaland to Rajkot Zone, Gujarat with the request to relieve the petitioner from his present place of posting. Accordingly, the respondent no. 6/AGM & Regional Head, Regional Office, Jorhat, on the same day, i.e., 15.11.2025, sent an e-mail to the respondent no. 7 with the instructions to relieve the petitioner on 15.11.2025 from his present place of posting to join the new place of posting at Rajkot Zone, Gujarat. Thereafter, the respondent no. 7/Chief Manager, Bank of Baroda, Dimapur, Nagaland issued the impugned Relieving Order No. BOB/VJDIMA/STAFF/2025- 26/144 dated 15.11.2025, whereby the petitioner was relieved from the Dimapur VB Branch, Nagaland with instructions to report to the Zonal Head, Rajkot Zone on the next working day positively.

5. The petitioner tried to address his grievances through the official portal of the respondent bank by making an application against the impugned Relieving Order dated 15.11.2025 issued by the respondent no. 6. However, the said application could not be processed through the official portal of the bank as the bank’s portal system disabled him to access the official portal of the bank by locking his identification number. Being aggrieved the petitioner is before this Court.

6. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner, Mr. P. Surien. Also heard Mr. B.P. Borah, learned standing counsel for the respondents.

7. The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner had a