Pampa Das and Anr. Vs the Punjab National Bank and Ors. — Gauhati HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

Pampa Das and Anr. Vs the Punjab National Bank and Ors. — Gauhati HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Writ petition disposed of on the basis of the parties' out-of-court settlement recorded in a joint affidavit; the Bank is to take the agreement into account and, if procedurally proper, release the amounts in the name of late Bijit Das as per the agreement within 30 (thirty) days of receipt of the representation with relevant documents, the parties to abide by the Bank's rules and procedure; earlier interim orders vacated and pending applications disposed.

Issue for consideration

Whether the amounts lying in the bank accounts of late Bijit Das with Punjab National Bank (accounts at the A.T. Road, Fancy Bazar and Barpathar branches) should be released to the petitioners as lawful legal heirs, notwithstanding the Bank's refusal.

Court's answer

The Court disposed of the writ petition purely on the counsel's submissions that the parties had resolved their disputes outside the Court and had filed a joint affidavit; expressly, no further cause required decision and there is no finding by the Court on the merits of the claims inter se.

Ratio / Principle

The petitioners and respondent no. 7 are at liberty to appear before the Bank Authorities and furnish certified copies of the joint affidavit, whereupon the Bank Authorities will take the agreement into account and act on it if it accords with the procedure.

Key takeaways

If the agreement is as per the procedure, the amounts standing in the name of late Bijit Das shall be released as per the agreement arrived at between the petitioners and respondent no. 7.ratio¶35
The petitioners and respondent no. 7 must abide by all the rules and procedure as may be required by the Bank for release of the amount.ratio¶35
The Bank was directed to carry out the release exercise within a period of 30 (thirty) days from the date of receipt of the representation along with all the relevant documents from the petitioners.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Writ petition WP(C)/749/2026, Gauhati High Court, decided 06.04.2026 (Justice Soumitra Saikia). Petitioners Pampa Das and Sanjukta Das sought release of monies lying in nine bank accounts of late Bijit Das - a retired United Bank of India employee who died on 27.08.2025 - held with Punjab National Bank's A.T. Road (six accounts), Fancy Bazar (two) and Barpathar (one) branches, claiming to be lawful legal heirs whom the Bank had refused. Respondent no. 7, Shikta Das, is co-wife of petitioner no. 1; petitioner no. 2 is the daughter of Bijit Das's first wife Suchibrata Das (died September 1992). During pendency, the petitioners and respondent no. 7 settled their differences and jointly filed an affidavit recording sharing terms. The Court disposed of the petition solely on that settlement, expressly recording no finding on the merits of the claims inter se; the parties were left free to furnish certified copies of the affidavit to the Bank, which was to take the agreement into account and, if it accorded with procedure, release the amounts as per the agreement within 30 (thirty) days of receipt of the representation with relevant documents, the parties to abide by all rules and procedure required by the Bank. Earlier interim orders were vacated and pending applications disposed.

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GAHC010024382026

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THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT (HIGH COURT OF ASSAM, NAGALAND, MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH)

Case No. : WP(C)/749/2026

PAMPA DAS AND ANR S/O- LATE BIJIT DAS.

R/O- BARPATHAR, SINGIMARI, RETIREMENT COLONY, P.O.- BARPATHAR, DIST.- GOLAGHAT, ASSAM.

2: SANJUKTA DAS D/O- LATE BIJIT DAS. R/O- BARPATHAR SINGIMARI RETIREMENT COLONY P.O.- BARPATHAR DIST.- GOLAGHAT ASSAM

VERSUS

THE PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK AND ORS A.T. ROAD BRANCH, GUWAHATI, REPRESENTED BY THE CHIEF MANAGER, PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK, A.T. ROAD BRANCH, A.T. ROAD, GUWAHATI.

2:PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK FANCY BAZAR BRANCH. GUWAHATI REPRESENTED BY THE CHIEF MANAGER PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK FANCY BAZAR BRANCH FANCY BAZAR GUWAHATI

3:PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK BARPATHAR BRANCH BARPATHAR REPRESENTED BY THE CHIEF MANAGER

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PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK BARPATHAR BRANCH BARPATHAR GOLAGHAT. 4:THE BRANCH MANAGER PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK A.T. ROAD BRANCH A.T. ROAD GUWAHATI. 5:THE BRANCH MANAGER PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK FANCY BAZAR BRANCH FANCY BAZAR GUWAHATI. 6:THE BRANCH MANAGER PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK BARPATHAR BRANCH BARPATHAR GOLAGHAT. 7:SHIKTA DAS RESIDENT OF HOUSE NO. 29 LAL GANESH PRAGATI PATH BYE-LANE-3 KAMRUP (METROPOLITAN) ASSAM PIN-781034

Advocate for the Petitioner : MR. S BANIK, T SARKAR,MS F BEGUM

Advocate for the Respondent : SC, PNB, MS B DAS(R7),MR. P BHOWMICK(R7)

BEFORE

HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SOUMITRA SAIKIA

ORDER

06.04.2026

Heard Mr. S Banik, learned counsel for the petitioners. Also heard Mr. A

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Parvej, learned Standing Counsel, Punjab National Bank (PNB) for the

respondents no. 1 to 6 and Mr. P. Bhowmick, learned counsel for the respondent no.7.

The petitioner no.1 and respondent no.7 are co-wives of one Late Bijit Das, who was a retired employee of United Bank of India and the petitioner no.2 is the daughter of the first wife of late Bijit Das, namely, Suchibrata Das, who expired in the month of September, 1992. Bijit Das superannuated from his service and he was drawing his pension, but subsequently expired on 27.08.2025. The petitioners before this Court have filed this petition in respect of the amounts that are lying in the Bank account of late Bijit Das in the Punjab

National Bank in different Branches. The Account numbers and Branch names are as follows:

Account Numbers Branch Names A. 0455010036706 A.T. Road, Guwahati B. 0455300014599 A.T. Road, Guwahati C. 0455109110975 A.T. Road, Guwahati D. 0455300013943 A.T. Road, Guwahati E. 0001210357701 A.T. Road, Guwahati F. 0455109046926 A.T. Road, Guwahati G. 0001010277851 Fancy Bazar, Guwahati H. 0001210359719 Fancy Bazar, Guwahati

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I. 0311010468534 Barpathar Branch

The claims of the petitioners are that these amounts should be released to

the petitioners being the lawful legal heirs whom the Bank has refused and accordingly, the petitioners are before this Court. Pursuant to the issuance of notice, the respondent no. 7 is represented by Mr. P. Bhowmick, learned counsel, by filing his power.

During the pendency of the writ petition, the petitioners no. 1 and 2 and the private respondent no. 7 have sorted out their differences and have agreed to share the amounts lying in the bank accounts of the deceased Bijit Das as reflected in the writ petition. The petitioners and the private respondent no. 7 have jointly filed an affidavit before this Court laying down the terms of agreement.

A copy of the same has been served on Mr. A Parvej, learned Standing Counsel, Punjab National Bank (PNB) for the respondents no. 1 to 6. Since the petitioners and the respondent no. 7 have mutually agreed to resolve the dispute outside the Court and a joint affidavit to that effect has been filed before the Court, no further cause is required to be decided by the Court. The parties are at liberty to appear before the Bank Authorities and furnish certified copies of this affidavit and thereupon the Bank Authorities will take into account

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the agreement arrived at by the parties and if the same is as per the procedure,

then the amounts standing in the name of late Bijit Das shall be released as per the agreement arrived at by and between the petitioners and respondent no. 7. Needless to say, the petitioners and the respondent no.7 will abide by all the rules and procedure as may be required for release of the amount by the Bank. It is made clear that the Court has disposed of this petition purely on the submissions made by the respective counsel that the parties have resolved their disputes out of the Court and a joint affidavit has been filed in this regard. As such, there is no finding by the Court on the merits of the claims inter se. Let this exercise be carried out by the Bank within a period of 30 (thirty) days from the date of receipt of the representation along with all the relevant documents from the petitioners.

In terms of the above, the writ petition stands disposed of.

Interim order, if any, passed earlier stands vacated.

Pending Interlocutory Application, if any, stands disposed of.

JUDGE

Comparing Assistant