Calcutta HC extends interim stay on payment of stipend to job-losing non-teaching staff in Bengal

Kolkata, Sep 19 (IANS) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Friday, extended the interim stay till January 2026, restraining the West Bengal government from making payments under a scheme for providing stipends to the non-teaching staff who have lost their jobs following a Supreme Court order in April this year.

Notably, in May this year, the West Bengal government issued a notification announcing the new scheme under the state Labour Department. Under the ‘West Bengal Livelihood and Special Security Interim Scheme’, the job-losing Group-C staff would be entitled to a monthly stipend of Rs 25,000, while those in the Group D category would be entitled to Rs 20,000 monthly.

Announcing the launch of the scheme, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the scheme was planned under the state Labour Department because of the tendencies of some people and vested interests to file public interest litigations at the Calcutta High Court against any decision of the state government.

However, legal challenges could not be avoided following successive petitions filed against the said notification.

On June 20 this year, the same single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha had put that interim stay on the payment of this stipend either till September 26 or till the time the court would give any further direction in the matter.

While ordering that interim stay, Justice Sinha then questioned why these job-losing non-teaching staff would receive payments from the state exchequer without offering any service to the state government in return.

The same matter came up for hearing at Justice Sinha’s bench on Friday, and at the end of the hearing, Justice Sinha extended the interim stay on the payment of stipend till the end of January next year, with the next hearing in the matter to come up in that month only.

--IANS

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