Jasbir Singh vs Punjab & Sind Bank & Ors

The Supreme Court held that the appellant, a peon in the Respondent Bank, was acquitted in a criminal case under Section 409/201 IPC for alleged embezzlement of Rs. 25,000 due to lack of evidence, including the absence of the complainant Rattan Singh. The Court found that the departmental proceedings against him were flawed as they relied on an ex parte report without proper examination of evidence. The Court upheld the lower court's decision that the Bank failed to prove the embezzlement claim, thus reinforcing the principle that an employee cannot be penalized without substantial evidence of wrongdoing. The appeal was allowed, and the departmental proceedings were quashed.