JUDGMENT

Raveendran, J.—This civil appeal by special leave is against the judgment dated 26.2.2001 in M.A.T. No. 4075 of 1998 passed by the High Court of Calcutta.

2. The first respondent was working as Secretary of the Midnapore Peoples’ Co-op. Bank Ltd. [Appellant No. 1 herein, for short the ‘Bank’]. Appellants 2 and 3 are respectively the Chairman and Secretary-in-Charge of the first appellant bank. The first respondent was kept under suspension pending initiation of disciplinary proceedings, in pursuance of a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Bank dated 16.4.1994. The respondent filed a writ petition [C.O. No. 8789(W) of 1995] challenging the suspension, inter alia on the ground that charge-sheet had not been issued. On 27.6.1995, the said writ petition was disposed of recording the submission that the bank was issuing a charge-sheet. The Bank was directed to deliver a copy of the charge-sheet and pay the arrears of subsistence allowance within one week. The first respondent was directed to file his written statement within 10 days. The Enquiry Officer was directed to conclude the enquiry within a period of three months from the date of communication of the order subjec