The Chandigarh bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal has set aside the suspension of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation regional provident fund commissioner-I Kumar Punit and directed the department to allow him to resume his previous posting in Chandigarh.
The tribunal’s order, pronounced on October 14, also quashed the subsequent order shifting Punit’s headquarters to Chennai-Puducherry. The development restores his administrative location to Chandigarh while the department’s position on disciplinary proceedings remains part of the case record.
Punit had challenged both the suspension and the headquarters shift before the tribunal. According to the case details reported by the Times of India, he alleged that the action was the result of personal vendetta. His petition stated that he had sent a legal notice seeking damages for defamation to Rajiv Bisht, an additional central provident fund commissioner, on July 26.
Punit was suspended the following day, on July 27, 2026. He later submitted a representation on August 3. An order issued on August 15 shifted his headquarters to Chennai-Puducherry, a move that he also challenged before the Chandigarh bench.
The department opposed Punit’s challenge, arguing that disciplinary proceedings against him were already pending. It also alleged that he had shared news reports and other material, although the supplied report does not provide the tribunal’s full findings on that allegation or the complete details of the disciplinary case.
The tribunal has now directed the department to permit Punit to resume work at his earlier Chandigarh posting. The order changes the immediate administrative position created by the suspension and subsequent headquarters transfer, but the available report does not state whether the department will pursue further legal or disciplinary proceedings after the tribunal’s decision.
The case highlights the role of the Central Administrative Tribunal in reviewing service-related actions involving public officials. Such proceedings can determine whether suspensions, transfers and changes in headquarters were carried out in accordance with applicable administrative rules and the circumstances recorded before the tribunal.
The immediate next step is for the EPFO department to implement the tribunal’s direction and allow Punit to return to his Chandigarh posting. The supplied report does not specify a separate compliance deadline or disclose whether an appeal against the order is planned.
