HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday granted permission to the State Bank of India to go ahead with the process of finalising the options of the officers and other staff of the five associate banks - State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, Bank of Mysore, Bank of Travancore, Bank of Patiala and the State Bank of Hyderabad which have been acquired and merged with the SBI with effect from April 1 this year.
Justice M S Ramachandra Rao was passing this order in a writ petition by the Associate Banks Officers’ Association and some individuals from the associate banks who sought to stay operation of the ‘option letter’ issued by the chief general manager (HR), SBI, Mumbai on March 29, 2017.
On April 13, the Court, in its interim order, directed the SBI not to finalise the options of the officers and staff concerned till June 15, 2017. Aggrieved with the same, the SBI filed a petition with a plea to vacate the interim order stating that the bank was not in a position to finalise the seniority list of the officers and effect transfers for administration of the day to day work of the bank.
During the course of hearing, the counsel for SBI submitted that the bank was strictly complying all the stipulations in the orders given by the Central government in safeguarding the interest of the employees’ of the associate banks, and sought to grant permission for finalising the options of the officers and other staff concerned.
Taking these submissions into consideration, the judge vacated the interim order granted earlier. While disposing of the case, the judge granted liberty to the officers and staff of the associate banks to have consultations with the SBI.