Bhubaneswar, May 3 -- Orissa High Court upheld the dismissal of a Bank of Baroda official who refused a transfer order, citing the necessity of caring for her elderly parents. In a judgment delivered on April 21, 2026, Justices Krishna S Dixit and Chittaranjan Dash emphasised that employees in public service are expected to report to their assigned stations to prevent administrative disruption.

Invoking the literary wisdom of Khalil Gibran, the Bench suggested that if an employee finds their obligations "distasteful", they should exit the profession.

The court quoted Gibran's 'On Work', "And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work w...