The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has ruled that an employee of the State Bank of India (SBI) is not classified as a ‘public servant’ under Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This decision quashes a criminal charge against a 65-year-old educationist accused of assaulting a public servant. The ruling underscores the legal distinction between bank employees and public servants, impacting how similar cases may be interpreted in the future.
He also examined Supreme Court’s 2016 judgment in CBI, Bank Securities & Fraud Cell versus Ramesh Gelli, which the prosecution cited to contend that bank employees were public servants.
“The apex court’s observations in the case of Ramesh Gelli show the accused, who was a bank employee, was not a public servant within the meaning of Section 21 of IPC,” Justice Pathan observed. The court said the same principle had to apply to the bank employee who was the complainant in the present case. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nagpur | Silver Rate in Nagpur | Bank Holidays in Nagpur | Public Holidays in Nagpur | Petrol Price in Nagpur | Diesel Price in Nagpur | CNG Price in Nagpur | LPG Price in Nagpur
Justice Pathan accepted the argument, relying on earlier rulings of Delhi and Bombay high courts concerning the status of bank employees under IPC.