Financial reversals linked to unauthorized transactions must prioritize public interest, underscoring the jurisdictional boundaries of writ petitions in banking disputes.

1. By filing this intra-court Appeal, the appellant-writ petitioner has challenged the order dated 22.12.2021 passed by the learned Single Judge in W.P.(C) No. 4450 of 2018, whereby the writ petition filed by the writ petitioner-appellant before the learned Single Judge was dismissed. The appellant-writ petitioner filed the writ petition for issuance of direction to the respondents to pay a sum of Rs.25,00,000/- to the petitioner as the same was allegedly, in an illegal order, reversed from the petitioner’s bank account. A further prayer has been made for issuance of direction upon respondent no. 1 to lift the lien marked on the amount of Rs. 2,00,000/- transferred in the bank account of the petitioner.

2. The petitioner claims that M/s Bhanu Construction and its sister concern M/s UTS Infratel Pvt. Ltd. is a regular customer of the petitioner’s firm namely, M/s ANICOMP and they have been in business for supply of computers, accessories and other allied items for which the said M/s Bhanu Construction and its sister concern used to transfer the money to the petitioner’s bank account being operated in Bank of India, Church Road Branch, Ranchi. In the month of August 2017, M/s Bhanu Construction and its sister concern received the goods worth Rs. 25,32,670/- and M/s Bhanu Construction transferred a sum of Rs.25,00,000/- in the petitioner’s account on 16.08.2017 towards payment of the same. However, on 20.09.2017, the petitioner received a call from one Mr. Sameer Khalkho, Senior Manager, Bank of India, Church Road Branch, Ranchi alleging that a sum of Rs. 25,00,000/- was transferred to the petitioner’s account in an unauthorized manner.

At that time, the petitioner was in Kolkata hence, he requested the said officer of Bank of India to wait till he gets back to Ranchi. Despite of such request, the money was reversed from the account of the petitioner.

The petitioner filed online complaint and also prayed before the Bank Ombudsman, but he was not given the proper relief hence, he filed a writ petition in this Court which came before the learned Single Judge for disposal.

The counter affidavit filed by the respondent reveals that State Bank of India filed O.A. No. 608 of 2017 before the Debts Recovery Tribunal, Ranchi which was disposed of in terms of order dated 22.03.2018.

3. The matter relating to transfer of Rs. 100.01 crores of public money in the bank account of M/s Bhanu Construction. The matter is still being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (hereinafter referred to as “CBI” for brevity). It further transpires that a huge sum of money amounting to Rs. 100.01 crores of the Government of Jharkhand was wrongly transferred in the account of M/s Bhanu Construction by the SBI, Hatia Branch, Ranchi instead of crediting the same in the account of Jharkhand State Mid Day Meal Authority. M/s Bhanu Construction immediately transferred part of the said amount to its creditors. As soon as the Bank of India came to know that a sum of Rs. 25,00,000/- had been transferred by M/s Bhanu Construction to the bank accounts of ANICOMP, respondent no. 1 tried to verify the said fact from the petitioner, but he was not available at Ranchi. It thereafter came to light that said amount was part of the public fund and the Bank of India being a public sector bank had no option but to revert the said amount in accordance with law on request of the SBI, Hatia Branch, Ranchi for subsequent transfer of the same to the actual bank account.

4. Learned Single Judge having heard the learned counsel appearing for the parties and perusing the records, finds that it is not a case of mere reversal of entries, rather M/s Bhanu Construction, prima facie, appears to have knowingly transferred the amount of public money (custodian of which was the Governm