Photo : BSS

DHAKA, July 24, 2025 (BSS) – The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) today dismissed a review plea of Sonali Bank, paving way for paying one of its former employee Harendranath Chandra Taka 20 lakh as compensation for legal expenditures in a 40-year-old case.

A six-member apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed passed the order after holding hearing on the matter. Senior advocate Md Omar Farouq moved the case for Harendranath Chandra, 78, while senior advocate Shamim Khaled stood for the Sonali Bank authorities.

According to the case documents, Harendranath joined Sonali Bank as a cashier cum clerk in 1980. The bank authorities in 1985 initiated a departmental proceeding and filed three cases against Harendranath and eight others for misappropriating Taka 16.16 lakh. At one stage, Harendranath lost his job and was sentenced to five-year jail.

He came out of the jail in 1990 after serving his sentence and started a long legal battle that went on for 40 long years. 

In the meantime, the Sonali Bank authorities filed a money suit in the lower court in 1988 against nine people, including Harendranath, to recover the money. In that case, the First Assistant Judge's Court found nine people guilty in a unilateral verdict and ordered them to return the entire amount. Harendranath filed an appeal (miscellaneous case) in the Joint District Judge's Court against that order. 

On August 19, 1992, the Joint District Judge's Court of Dhaka accepted the appeal and quashed the order of the trial court. The Sonali Bank authorities appealed with the High Court against this verdict in 2019. 

However, the High Court dismissed the appeal and gave its verdict on August 29, 2022. The bank authorities filed a leave to appeal against this verdict. On December 9, 2024, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court dismissed the leave to appeal. Along with this, the Sonali Bank authorities were ordered to pay Harendranath Taka 20 lakh as the cost of the case (as expenses) within three months. Sonali Bank filed a review against this decision. 

The Supreme Court dismissed the review plea today.