deceased, subject to their respective eligibility. The fact that the amount of provident fund has already been paid to the nominee, or that any person may have been nominated in respect of any other monetary benefit, by itself, cannot be treated as conferring an exclusive or beneficial right upon such nominee so as to defeat the lawful claim of the other eligible legal heirs. The nomination, as noticed hereinabove, only authorizes the nominee to receive the amount and does not determine the ultimate entitlement thereto amongst the legal heirs. In the present case, the three sisters, who are the petitioners, have already furnished their no objection with regard to their claim by way of notarized affidavit dated 22.01.2020. At the same time, the claim of respondent no. 10, as well as the entitlement of the petitioners and other eligible beneficiaries, is required to be verified by the competent authority in accordance with the applicable Rules. Accordingly, the concerned authority is directed to issue notice to respondent no. 10 as well as to all the three petitioners and, after verifying their respective entitlement and taking into consideration the relevant records, shall ensure that the entire amount payable towards gratuity is duly released and distributed amongst all the eligible beneficiaries in equal shares, strictly in accordance with law. It is made clear that the
