In Brief
A senior manager at Punjab and Sind Bank was dismissed for misappropriating customer funds in connivance with a junior officer and a gunman. While the gunman received compulsory retirement and the officer received reduced pay, the manager was dismissed. The High Court invoked the principle of parity—treating equally-placed persons equally—and modified his dismissal to compulsory retirement. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that a senior manager holds greater trust and responsibility than subordinate staff, justifying harsher punishment for the same misconduct. The Court emphasized that courts should not interfere with disciplinary punishments unless they are shockingly disproportionate, and that rank differences constitute compelling grounds for differential penalties to maintain institutional integrity.
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