M/S Overseas Air Travel And Tour ... vs Federal Bank
2025 Latest Caselaw 6801 Ker

Kerala High Court

M/S Overseas Air Travel And Tour ... vs Federal Bank on 17 June, 2025

                                               2025:KER:42454​
                                               ​
​W.A.No​​.539 of 2025​           ​1​


             IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM​
             ​

                              PRESENT​
                              ​

  THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE SUSHRUT ARVIND DHARMADHIKARI​
  ​

                                 &​
                                 ​

            THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SYAM KUMAR V.M.​
            ​

               TH​
               ​
TUESDAY, THE 17​
​                  DAY OF JUNE 2025 / 27TH JYAISHTA,​​
                   ​                                 1947​

                         WA NO. 539 OF 2025​
                         ​

 AGAINST THE JUDGMENT DATED 06.12.2024 IN WP(C) NO.43026​
 ​
             OF 2024 OF HIGH COURT OF KERALA​
             ​

APPELLANT:​
​

                ​/S OVERSEAS AIR TRAVEL AND TOUR OPERATORS​
                M
                REPRESENTED BY PROPRIETOR PARIJATHAN​
                ​
                AGED 65 YEARS​
                ​
                S/O. MADHAVAN KUTTY, 1ST FLOOR SAI KRIPA , CLOUD​
                ​
                5, TC 29/3900, VAZHUTHACAUD PO, THYCAUD,​
                ​
                THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PIN - 695014​
                ​


                ​Y ADVS.​
                B
                SHRI.SYAM KUMAR A.G.​
                ​
                SHRI.NIRAN VISWANATH​
                ​
                SMT.REKHA B.​
                ​
                SMT.GOURI NAIR​
                ​
                SMT.AKSHAYA S. AJAYAN​
                ​
                SHRI.KEN BIJU​
                ​


RESPONDENTS:​

​

1​ ​ ​EDERAL BANK​ F REPRESENTED BY AUTHORISED OFFICER, PALAYAM BRANCH,​ ​ 2025:KER:42454​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.539 of 2025​ ​2​

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PIN - 695034​ ​

2​ ​ ​ESERVE BANK OF INDIA​ R REPRESENTED BY AUTHORISED OFFICER DEPARTMENT OF​ ​ CURRENCY MANAGEMENT CENTRAL OFFICE RESERVE BANK OF​ ​ INDIA 4TH FLOOR, AMAR BUILDING SIR P.M. ROAD MUMBAI,​ ​ PIN - 400001​ ​

​Y ADVS.​ B SHRI.MOHAN JACOB GEORGE​ ​ SHRI.M.GOPIKRISHNAN NAMBIAR​ ​ SMT.P.V.PARVATHY (P-41)​ ​ SMT.REENA THOMAS​ ​ SMT.NIGI GEORGE​ ​ SHRI.ANANTHU V.LAL​ ​ SMT.SHERIN VARGHESE​ ​ SHRI.BRAHMA R.K.​ ​ SRI.JOSON MANAVALAN​ ​ SRI.KURYAN THOMAS​ ​ SHRI.PAULOSE C. ABRAHAM​ ​ SHRI.RAJA KANNAN​ ​ SHRI.PRANOY HARILAL​ ​

​HIS​ ​ T WRIT​ ​ APPEAL​ ​ HAVING​ ​ BEEN​ ​FINALLY​ ​HEARD​ ​ ON​ 12.06.2025,​ ​ ​ THE​ ​ COURT​ ​ ON​ 1 ​7.06.2025​ ​ DELIVERED​ ​ THE​ FOLLOWING:​ ​ 2025:KER:42454​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.539 of 2025​ ​3​

​JUDGMENT​

​Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, J.​

​This​ ​appeal​ ​has​ ​been​ ​filed​ ​with​ ​a​ ​delay​ ​of​ ​69​ ​days.​ ​Having​

​perused​ ​the​ ​reasons​ ​stated​ ​in​ ​the​ ​affidavit​ ​filed​ ​in​ ​support​ ​of​ ​the​

​application​ ​to​ ​condone​ ​delay,​ ​we​ ​are​ ​satisfied​ ​that​ ​sufficient​ ​cause​

​has​​been​​made​​out​​to​​condone​​the​​delay.​ ​Hence,​​C.M​​Appln.No​​.1​

​of 2025 to condone the delay is allowed.​

​2.​ ​With​ ​the​ ​consent​ ​of​ ​both​ ​the​ ​parties,​ ​the​ ​appeal​ ​is​ ​heard​

​finally.​

​3.​ ​This​ ​intra​ ​court​ ​appeal​ ​filed​​under​​Section​​5​​of​​the​​Kerala​

​High​ ​Court​ ​Act,​ ​1958,​ ​assails​ ​the​ ​judgment​ ​dated​ ​06.12.2024​

​passed​ ​in​ ​W.P(C)No.43026/2024,​ ​whereby​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​Single​

​Judge​ ​has​ ​dismissed​ ​the​ ​writ​ ​petition​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​that​ ​the​

​respondent​ ​-​ ​Bank​ ​does​ ​not​ ​fall​ ​within​ ​the​ ​purview​ ​of​ ​'State'​​under​

​Article 12 of the Constitution of India.​

​4.​ ​The​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​relied​ ​on​ ​the​ ​judgment​ ​of​ ​this​

​Court​ ​in​ ​Federal​ ​Bank​ ​Ltd.​ ​v.​ ​Sagar​ ​Thomas​ ​[2003​ ​KHC​ ​1206],​

​wherein​ ​it​ ​is​ ​held​ ​that​ ​merely​ ​because​ ​the​ ​Reserve​ ​Bank​ ​of​ ​India​ 2025:KER:42454​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.539 of 2025​ ​4​

​has​​laid​​down​​the​​banking​​policy​​in​​the​​interest​​the​​banking​​system​

​and​ ​in​ ​the​ ​interest​ ​of​ ​monetary​ ​stability​ ​or​ ​sound​ ​economic​ ​growth​

​having​​due​​regard​​to​​the​​interests​​of​​the​​depositors,​​does​​not​​mean​

​that​ ​the​ ​private​ ​companies​ ​carrying​ ​on​ ​the​​business​​or​​commercial​

​activity​​of​​banking,​​discharge​​any​​public​​function​​or​​public​​duty.​ ​The​

​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​also​ ​relied​ ​on​ ​the​ ​judgment​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Division​

​Bench​ ​of​ ​this​ ​Court​ ​in​ ​Mathew​ ​Ignitious​ ​v.​ ​The​ ​Catholic​ ​Syrian​

​Bank​ ​[2019​ ​(5)​ ​KHC​ ​835],​ ​wherein​​it​​was​​categorically​​held​​that​​a​

​scheduled​​bank​​registered​​as​​a​​company​​under​​the​​Companies​​Act​

​does​ ​not​ ​fall​ ​within​ ​the​ ​purview​ ​of​ ​'State'​​or​​other​​authorities​​under​

​Article​​12​​of​​the​​Constitution​​of​​India.​​Therefore,​​such​ ​a​​bank​​is​​not​

​amenable​ ​to​ ​the​ ​jurisdiction​​under​​Article​​226​​of​​the​​Constitution​​of​

​India.​

​5.​ ​Admittedly,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​present​ ​case​ ​the​ ​respondent​​-​​Bank​​is​​a​

​private​ ​commercial​ ​Bank,​ ​therefore,​ ​the​ ​same​ ​is​ ​not​ ​amenable​ ​to​

​the writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.​

​In​​view​​of​​the​​afore,​​we​​are​​of​​the​​considered​​opinion​​that​​the​

​learned​​Single​​Judge​​has​​not​​committed​​any​​error​​in​​dismissing​​the​ 2025:KER:42454​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.539 of 2025​ ​5​

​writ​ ​petition.​ ​Accordingly,​ ​we​ ​refrain​ ​from​ ​entertaining​ ​the​ ​writ​

​appeal and is hereby dismissed.​

​Sd/-​

SUSHRUT ARVIND DHARMADHIKARI​ ​ JUDGE​ ​

Sd/-​ ​ SYAM KUMAR V.M.​ ​ JUDGE​ ​

MC/10.6​ ​ 2025:KER:42454​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.539 of 2025​ ​6​

APPENDIX OF WA 539/2025​ ​

PETITIONER ANNEXURES​ ​

Annexure A1​ ​ ​HE​ ​ T COPY​​OF​​THE​​JUDGMENT​​ IN​​ AIR​​2010​ SC 218​ ​ Annexure A2​ ​ THE​ ​ ​ COPY​ ​ OF​ ​THE​ ​ JUDGMENT​ ​IN​ ​ AIR​ ​ 2019​ DEL 165​ ​ Annexure A3​ ​ THE​ ​ ​ COPY​ ​OF​ ​ THE​ ​ JUDGMENT​ ​IN​ ​ ORIENTAL​ BANK​ ​ ​ OF​ ​ COMMERCE​ ​ VERSUS​ ​SUNDAR​ ​LAL​ JAIN [ 2008 KHC 4051]​ ​ Annexure A4​ ​ THE​ ​ ​ COPY​ ​OF​ ​THE​ ​ JUDGMENT​ ​IN​ ​ NIKHIL​ MATHEW​ ​ ​ VERSUS​ ​ STATE​ ​BANK​ ​OF​ ​ INDIA,​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM​ ​ ​ AND​ ​ OTHERS​ ​[2018​ KHC 5200]​ ​