In Brief
Mihir Kumar Hazara Choudhury, an Assistant with Life Insurance Corporation of India, was dismissed for issuing seven premium receipts to policyholders without receiving corresponding amounts. The appellant admitted issuing the receipts but claimed it was due to work pressure and family circumstances, denying any fraudulent intent. The Enquiry Officer found the charges proved, and LIC dismissed him. An Industrial Tribunal later set aside the dismissal, but the High Court's Division Bench upheld it. The Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal, holding the charges were established both by the appellant's own admission and independent evidence. The Court ruled that an employee handling customer deposits must maintain the highest standards of integrity, and the punishment of dismissal was appropriate and proportionate to the serious breach of fiduciary duty.
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