Judgment

Mr. Amol Rattan Singh, J.:- By this petition, the petitioner (the Punjab National Bank, Circle Office Ludhiana and the Chief Manager of the Branch at Dhandari Kalan, Ludhiana), challenge the order passed by the 3rd respondent, i.e. the recovery officer of the Employees Provident Fund Organization, Ludhiana, dated 24.05.2019 (copy Annexure P-10), by which in fact the Zonal Manager of the said Bank (petitioner no. 2) has been made liable to pay a sum of Rs. 4,91,263/- on account of dues from M/s R.V. International, Dhandari Kalan, Ludhiana, which firm is stated to be a ‘deemed defaulter’ under the provisions of Section 11 (2) of the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.

The salary of the Chief Manager of the Dhandari Kalan Branch of the Bank, has also been ordered to be attached, towards recovery therefrom of the dues.

2. It is to be noticed that the aforesaid ‘deemed defaulter’, has not been impleaded as a respondent in the present petition, with learned counsel for the 1st petitioner having submitted that since the impugned order is only one by which the petitioner Bank and its officer have been held liable to pay the aforesaid sum of money, in