In Brief
A registered trade union of Bank of India staff challenged the rejection of three nominated worker-directors who had less than three years of residual service before retirement. The union contended that the disqualification clause differentially treated worker-directors compared to officer-directors, violating Article 14 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court upheld the clause as valid. The Court held that worker and officer employees are distinct, unequal categories governed by different legal regimes. Since Article 14 applies only to equals, differential treatment was permissible. The Court reasoned that a board composed of diverse categories requires category-specific qualifications assessed before, not after, appointment. The appeal was dismissed.
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