ALLAHABAD BANK OFFICERS ASSN. vs ALLAHABAD BANK .

The Supreme Court held that the order of compulsory retirement of Dayal Dass Khanna, an officer of Allahabad Bank, did not cast a stigma on his character, thus not constituting a punishment under the Allahabad Bank Officers Employees (Discipline and Appeal) Regulations, 1976. The Court emphasized that the decision was based on a review by a Special Committee under Regulation 19 of the Allahabad Bank (Officers) Service Regulations, 1979, which recommended retirement without a departmental inquiry. The Court upheld the High Court's dismissal of the writ petition challenging the retirement order as arbitrary and mala fide, affirming the legality of the retirement order.