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The Chairman, UCO Bank v. Sanwal Singh (Dead) By L.Rs.

Civil Appeal · 2017 INSC 758Decided 17 Aug 2017
Civil Appeal No. 8081 of 2013
Justice Kurian Joseph · Justice R. Banumathi

Background

UCO Bank appealed against an order in favour of an employee, Sanwal Singh, who had retired from the bank's service back in 1990 and had since passed away, with the appeal being pursued against his legal representatives.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court declined to interfere with the impugned judgment, citing the "peculiar facts" that the employee was deceased and had already retired as far back as 1990, and dismissed the bank's appeal. However, the Court noted on record the bank's submission that the legal question raised in the case was already covered by its earlier decision in Jai Singh B. Chauhan vs Punjab National Bank and Ors. (rendered 20 July 2005), recording that point without disturbing the outcome.

Lesson Learnt

Courts can decline to disturb a result on the specific facts of an individual case (here, the employee's death and long-past retirement) even while acknowledging that the underlying legal question may already be settled by precedent: the practical outcome and the stated legal principle do not always point the same way.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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