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Delhi High Court Orders Bank to Reward Manager's Bravery
In 1998, five armed robbers entered a bank in Delhi.
They threatened people and began taking about Rs 40 lakh.
The bank’s guards gave up their weapons, but manager Surjit Singh tried to get help.
He pressed an emergency alarm even though a robber pointed a gun at him.
He then blocked the exit.
The robbers panicked and dropped much of the money.
They escaped with only Rs 75,000.
The Delhi High Court said Singh’s courage should be recognized and ordered the bank to pay him more than Rs 2.50 lakh plus interest.
Surjit Singh stopped five armed robbers from escaping with most of Rs 40 lakh in 1998.
He triggered the emergency alarm and blocked the bank’s exit despite a gun being pointed at him.
The robbers fled with only Rs 75,000 after cash spilled from a bag.
Punjab & Sind Bank had argued that Singh was merely performing his normal duties.
The Delhi High Court ordered the bank to pay him over Rs 2.50 lakh with interest.
- Who
- Surjit Singh, then a senior manager at Punjab & Sind Bank, and the bank.
- What
- The Delhi High Court ordered the bank to pay Singh over Rs 2.50 lakh with interest for his actions during an armed robbery.
- Where
- Punjab & Sind Bank’s Roshan Pura, Najafgarh branch in Delhi.
- When
- The robbery occurred on December 28, 1998; the court order was issued on September 10, with the year not specified in the article.
- Why
- Singh triggered an emergency alarm and blocked the exit, helping prevent robbers from taking most of the bank’s cash.
Manager and Court
Punjab & Sind Bank
Recognition of bravery
Manager and Court
Singh risked being shot, activated the emergency alarm and blocked the exit, demonstrating exceptional courage and presence of mind.
Punjab & Sind Bank
The bank treated his actions as part of his ordinary duty rather than as grounds for special recognition.
Compensation and promotion
Manager and Court
Singh sought the out-of-turn promotion recommended under the 1991 guidelines, while the court ordered monetary compensation with interest.
Punjab & Sind Bank
The bank denied the requested out-of-turn promotion, saying Singh was only performing his duty.
Key facts
- Bank
- Punjab & Sind Bank
- Manager
- Surjit Singh, then a senior manager
- Robbery date
- December 28, 1998
- Cash targeted
- Approximately Rs 40 lakh
- Amount taken
- Rs 75,000
- Court-ordered payment
- More than Rs 2.50 lakh, plus interest
- Relevant guidelines
- 1991 Department of Economic Affairs guidelines on compensation for bank employees resisting robberies and terrorist attacks
Quotes
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna
Delhi High Court judge who issued the order
“Such an act of bravery and presence of mind has ironically been termed by the Bank as a part of his duty. It is not only a trivialisation of the extraordinary and exemplary courage shown by the petitioner, but is almost an insult to a person who had put his life at risk.”
indianexpress.com
“The question herein, is not of money, but of the honour, which should have come to him, on its own, without litigation.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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