21 years after officer went missing, HC directs Indian Bank to clear dues and offer job to family
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Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed Indian Bank to release terminal benefits and provide a compassionate appointment to the family of a bank officer who has been missing for over two decades, offering long-awaited relief to his ailing wife.
The petitioner, Vanapatla Sugunakumari from Khammam, approached the court after her husband, an officer with Indian Bank, went missing in 2004. Despite a police report confirming his disappearance and a legal heir certificate issued in 2012, the bank had declined to release retirement benefits or consider her children for compassionate employment.
Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka ruled that, under the Indian Evidence Act, a person missing for more than seven years is presumed legally dead. Taking note of Sugunakumari’s cancer diagnosis and the prolonged difficulties faced by the family, the court ordered the bank to clear all dues within eight weeks and offer a suitable job to one of her children based on their qualifications.
In addition, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the Director of Sainik Welfare for failing to respond to appeals made by the petitioner’s family.