IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM PRESENT : THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P.N.RAVINDRAN TUESDAY, THE 12TH OCTOBER 2010 / 20TH ASWINA 1932 WP(C).No. 31312 of 2010() ------------------------- PETITIONER(S): --------------- CATHOLIC SYRIAN BANK STAFF FEDERATION, UDHAYA BUILDING,FLOOR NO.11,COLLEGE ROAD, THRISSUR, REPRESENTED BY ITS GENERAL SECRETARY, A.A.JOHNSON,AGED 55 YEARS, S/O.ANTHAPPAN. BY ADV. SRI.H.B.SHENOY SRI.B.ASHOK SHENOY SMT.LAKSHMI B.SHENOY SRI.ABU MATHEW SRI.SOBHAN GEORGE SRI.K.V.GEORGE RESPONDENT(S): --------------- 1. THE STATE ELECTION COMMISSIONER CORPORATION OFFICE COMPLEX, LMS JUNCTION, PALAYAM,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 695 033. 2. CATHOLIC SYRIAN BANL LTD., REP.BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO, HEAD OFFICE, ST.MARY'S COLLEGE ROAD, THRISSUR 680 020. BY ADV. SRI.MURALI PURUSHOTHAMAN, SC,K.S.E.COMM FOR R-1 THIS WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 12/10/2010, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING: P.N.RAVINDRAN, J. ------------------------------- W.P.(C) No.31312 of 2010 ------------------------------- Dated this the 12th day of October, 2010 J U D G M E N T The Catholic Syrian Bank Staff Federation, represented by its General Secretary has filed this writ petition challenging the decision taken by the State Election Commission to assign election duty to officers and employees of Catholic Syrian Bank Limited. The petitioner contends, relying on Section 145 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, that employees of Catholic Syrian Bank are not Government employees or employees of Local Self Government Institutions, and therefore, the first respondent has no power or authority to requisition the services of employees of the said bank for election duty. 2. A learned single Judge of this Court has in W.P.(C) No.11176 of 2004 considered the question whether the employees of the Ernakulam District Co-operative Bank Ltd. are liable to do election duty. It was contended before the learned single Judge that the Ernakulam District Co-operative Bank is not a State or other authority within the meaning of the said term occurring in Article 12 of the Constitution of India, and therefore, the employees of the Ernakulam District Co-operative Bank Ltd. are not liable to be called upon to do W.P.(C) No.31312/2010 2 election duty. The said contention was repelled by the learned single Judge holding that the section 159(2) of the Representation of People Act does not stand in the way of the election commission from securing the services of any person for the smooth conduct of the elections. The learned single Judge also held that it is for all the people to co-operate for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the elections. The learned single Judge also noticed that even if the contention of the bank is to be accepted, only individual employees who are allotted election duty can be said to be aggrieved and that the Bank cannot be said to be aggrieved. Here also, individual employees have not chosen to challenge the decision of the State Election Commission. Instead, the Catholic Syrian Bank Staff Federation has come to this Court. As held by the learned single Judge in W.P.(C) No.11176 of 2004, the Staff Federation cannot be said to be aggrieved by Ext.P1. I accordingly decline jurisdiction and dismiss the writ petition. P.N.RAVINDRAN, Judge. nj.