Mysuru: A former Chief Manager of the State Bank of India (SBI) has been sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment for misusing Rs 61.57 lakh from the account of a deceased customer and the bank’s internal account.

The First Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Mysuru also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on A.V. Kulkarni alias Aniruddh Vasanthrao Kulkarni, who was serving as Chief Manager at SBI’s Chamundipuram branch when the financial irregularities occurred.

Rs 61.57 lakh allegedly diverted

According to the prosecution, the case relates to transactions carried out between May 13, 2009, and December 23, 2011.

During this period, Rs 40.53 lakh was allegedly diverted from the bank account of Krishna Iyer, a customer who had died on April 7, 2005. Another Rs 21.04 lakh was allegedly taken from an internal account maintained by the bank.

The combined amount involved in the case was Rs 61,57,127.

The prosecution alleged that the money was transferred to accounts belonging to Kulkarni and his son and subsequently withdrawn, amounting to a misuse of his position as a bank official.

Bank inquiry exposed transactions

The alleged irregularities came to light during an internal inquiry conducted by senior SBI officials.

According to the prosecution, Kulkarni admitted to the misappropriation after the bank’s inquiry and subsequently repaid approximately Rs 62 lakh to the bank.

However, the repayment did not bring the criminal proceedings to an end. A police case was registered at the KR Police Station in Mysuru following the discovery of the alleged transactions.

The case was registered as C.C. No. 360/2013 before the First Additional CJM Court.

Police filed charge sheet

The investigation was conducted by then Sub-Inspector Prashanth of the KR Police Station, who submitted a charge sheet before the court.

The prosecution subsequently presented witnesses and evidence during the trial. Senior Assistant Public Prosecutor K. Prakash represented the prosecution and argued the case on behalf of the State.

After considering the evidence and arguments, First Additional CJM V. Prakash found Kulkarni guilty of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code.

Court awards one-year rigorous imprisonment

The court pronounced the judgment on September 25, 2026.

Kulkarni was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment under Section 409 of the IPC. In addition to the jail term, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000.

Of the fine amount, Rs 40,000 has been ordered to be paid to the bank as compensation, according to the report.

The sentence relates to transactions that took place more than a decade ago, when Kulkarni was posted at the SBI Chamundipuram branch in Mysuru.

Case involved deceased customer’s account

One of the key aspects of the case was the alleged diversion of funds from the account of Krishna Iyer, who had died several years before the transactions took place.

The prosecution’s case was that Rs 40.53 lakh was transferred from the deceased customer’s account during the period when Kulkarni was serving as the branch’s Chief Manager.

The remaining Rs 21.04 lakh came from the bank’s internal account, taking the total amount involved to more than Rs 61.57 lakh.

The court’s finding followed the completion of the trial and consideration of the evidence placed before it.

Repayment did not end prosecution

Although the accused reportedly repaid around Rs 62 lakh after the bank’s internal inquiry, criminal proceedings continued.

The case illustrates the distinction between recovering allegedly misused funds and determining criminal liability through the judicial process. The court ultimately found Kulkarni guilty and imposed both imprisonment and a fine.

The judgment brings the long-running case, registered in 2013, to a sentencing stage after the trial before the Mysuru court.

Conclusion

A former SBI Chief Manager has been sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000 by a Mysuru court for misusing Rs 61.57 lakh from a deceased customer’s account and the bank’s internal account. The court also ordered Rs 40,000 from the fine to be paid to the bank as compensation.