JUDGMENT

Pattanaik, J.-The appellant is a Regional Rural Bank, established under Section 3 of the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976 and is sponsored by the Uttar Pradesh Co-operative Bank Limited, Lucknow, which is a society registered under the U.P. Co-operative Societies Act. There are 196 Regional Rural Banks in the country but out of them 195 banks are sponsored by the nationalised banks and it is only the appellant bank, which is sponsored by the U.P. Co-operative Bank. Under Section 3 of the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976, it is the Central Government, who by Notification in the official Gazette, establishes one or more Regional Rural Banks, only on being requested by a sponsor bank to establish the same. Under sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the said Act it is the duty of the Sponsor Bank to aid and assist the Regional Rural Bank sponsored by it by subscribing to the share capital, training personnel of such Regional Rural Bank and providing such managerial and financial assistance to such Regional Rural Bank during the first five years of its functioning as may be mutually agreed upon between the Sponsor Bank and the Regional Rural Bank. Under sub-section (2) of Section 6, of