IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, DHARWAD BENCH DATED THIS THE 30^TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2025 BEFORE THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M.NAGAPRASANNA WRIT PETITION NO. 104036 OF 2025 (S-TR)

BETWEEN:

MR. VENKATESHA K.K., AGE. 47 YEARS, STAFF NO. 547503 DIVISIONAL MANAGER CANARA BANK, ASSOCIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND RRB VERTICAL CORPORATE, CREDIT AND ASSOCIATES, WING, HEAD OFFICE, J.C. ROAD, BENGALURU- 560002, R/O: “BANASIRI” MIG 98, NEAR MUTTU KIRANI SHOP, KHB SATTUR, UDAYGIRI EDIGARA BHAVAN ROAD, DHARWAD, DIST. DHARWAD- 580009.

…PETITIONER (BY SRI. RAGHAVENDRA A. PUROHIT, ADVOCATE)

AND:

Digitally signed by VISHAL NINGAPPA THE GENERAL MANAGER, PATTIHAL Location: Hig h PERSONAL MANAGEMENT SECTION, Court of Karnataka, Dharwad Bench, HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT VERTICAL Dharwad HUMAN RESOURCES & PUBLIC RELATION WING, CANARA BANK, HEAD OFFICE, J.C. ROAD, BENGALURU- 560001.

…RESPONDENT (BY SRI. SURESH S. GUNDI, ADVOCATE)

THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND

227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA IS PRAYING TO ISSUE WRIT IN THE NATURE OF CERTIORARI, SETTING ASIDE THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VIDE BEARING NO. REF: HRWPM: 2025:ADH:547503:1, DATED 16/06/2025, PASSED BY THE RESPONDENT AT ANNEXURE-E AND RELIEVING ORDER BEARING Ref: ASRV MISC/179/2025, DATED 21/06/2025 ISSUED BY THE RESPONDENT VIDE ANNEXURE-F AS NULL AND VOID IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE AND EQUITY AND ETC., THIS WRIT PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER:

ORAL ORDER

(PER: THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M.NAGAPRASANNA)

The petitioner is before this Court calling in question orders dated 16.06.2025 and 21.06.2025 by which the petitioner is transferred from Bengaluru to Vijayapura to head the Division as a Divisional Manager.

2. Heard the learned counsel Sri. Raghavendra A.

Purohit for the petitioner and the learned counsel Sri. Suresh S.

Gundi for the respondent.

3. Facts in brief germane are as follows.

4. The petitioner is an employee of the respondent Canara Bank (hereinafter referred to as ‘the bank’, for short). After having joined the service, the petitioner has risen to higher echelons of office and is presently in the cadre of Senior Management Grade Scale IV and is working as Divisional Manager. The issue in the lis pertains to the deputation or transfer of the petitioner. The petitioner, after having been promoted as Senior Management Grade Scale IV, is deputed from Canara Bank to Karnataka Vikasa Grameena Bank on 02.05.2023. In term of deputation was for a period of 3 years. The petitioner before the expiry of 3 years is brought back to Canara Bank on 19.04.2025. The bringing back of the petitioner to Canara Bank is cancelled by a subsequent order dated 15.05.2025. In the interregnum, what transpires is, the Karnataka Vikasa Grameena Bank and other regional rural banks merged and formed Karnataka Grameena Bank.

5. Therefore, the Karnataka Vikasa Grameena Bank ceased to be in existence. On 02.06.2025, the petitioner is repatriated to the Canara Bank after the cancellation on 15.05.2025. Thus, the petitioner comes back and reports to the Canara Bank at Bengaluru. Barely 14 days thereafter, the petitioner is again, now, not deputed but transferred on 16.06.2025 from Bengaluru Divisonal Office to Vijayapura Regional Office. It is this that is called in question in the subject petition.

6. The learned counsel for the petitioner would reiterate the grounds that are set out in the petition contending that the petitioner is made to move from office to office, post to post right from 02.05.2023 till the impugned order of transfer dated 16.06.2025. The learned counsel takes this Court through the documents appended to the petition to demonstrate that the petitioner suffers from a benchmark disability to an extent of 50% and therefore he is exempted from routine transfers unless administrative exigencies could ensue. Therefore, would submit that the transfer now made merely 15 days of him reporting to Bengaluru is contrary to the policy, in particular, with regard