Medical Trainees Not ‘Employees’ Under EPF Act, PF Demand Quashed and Tribunal Order Upheld: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has upheld the order of the Employees Provident Fund Appellate Tribunal and ruled that trainee medical representatives engaged as apprentices under the Model Standing Orders cannot be treated as “employees” under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. Justice Shampa Dutt dismissed the writ petition filed by the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner and other EPFO authorities challenging the Tribunal’s decision. Background of the Dispute…