The Court said that no one can allow a person who illegally took advantage of the scheme to go scot free. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the Union government to resume implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal from August 1. The scheme, which provides 100 days of wage employment to rural households, has remained suspended in the State since March 2022.A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Chaitali Chatterjee noted that the Ministry of Rural Development had invoked Clause 27 of the MGNREGA Act to withhold funds to the State, a provision that permits stoppage of fund flow for a reasonable period of time.“At this juncture, the endeavour of the court is on implementation of the scheme in the State of West Bengal which has been kept in abeyance past close to three years,” the Bench observed.Justice Sivagnanam, delivering the order, stated that the Act “does not envisage a situation where the scheme would be put to cold storage for eternity.” The Court pointed out that while the Union government is within its rights to impose special conditions for implementation to avoid irregularities, a clear demarcation must be drawn between past and future actions.The Bench also took note of irregularities in wage disbursement flagged by Central teams, and observed that action had already been initiated and recoveries made. It directed that the recovered amounts be returned to the Consolidated Fund of India.The high court’s directive assumes significance as the suspension of the scheme is estimated to have impacted over two crore rural workers in the State, leading to widespread distress migration.Welcoming the decision, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the petition seeking resumption of MGNREGS had not been filed by the State government, but by an organisation. She also mentioned that the State had launched an alternative programme, Karmashree, to provide 50 days of employment to affected people.The Trinamool Congress attributed the outcome to its leadership. “Under the leadership of Smt. @MamataOfficial and Shri @abhishekaitc, we fought relentlessly against this discrimination. Today’s verdict vindicates our stand, and marks a crucial victory for Bengal’s people!,” the party said in an official post on X.The petition was filed by the Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS), an organisation representing agricultural workers in the State.Purbayan Chakraborty, counsel for PBKMS, said, “At its core, this case was about the fundamental right to livelihood for over 2.5 crore registered MGNREGA workers in West Bengal. The Court’s direction to resume MGNREGA is a crucial step toward restoring both dignity and survival for those who depend on this programme to make ends meet.”Anuradha Talwar of PBKMS said the court order offered hope. “It is the reward of the hard work and persistence of PBKMS members who did not give up their struggle despite three frustrating years. Our next task is to now ensure a corruption-free MGNREGA in our State and to continue our struggle against BJP’s attempts to kill MGNREGA,” she added. Published - June 18, 2025 04:17 pm IST
