Calcutta High Court Stays Mamata Government's Relief Scheme for Sacked SSC Staff

 June 21, 2025 – In a significant setback for the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court yesterday, Friday, June 20th, ordered an interim stay on the state's scheme to provide financial relief to Group C and Group D non-teaching staff of state-aided schools, whose jobs were recently terminated by a Supreme Court order.

Justice Amrita Sinha of the Calcutta High Court issued the interim order, prohibiting the state from implementing the "West Bengal Livelihood Social Security Interim Scheme, 2025" until September 26, 2025, or until further orders.

The Supreme Court had, on April 3, 2025, nullified the appointments of approximately 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff from the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment drive, declaring the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted" due to widespread irregularities and fraud. The apex court had also directed those who gained jobs fraudulently to refund their salaries.

Following this, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on April 27, announced a monthly interim relief of ₹25,000 for Group-C employees and ₹20,000 for Group-D staff. The government had presented this as a humanitarian gesture to support individuals who had suddenly lost their livelihoods.

However, the state government's scheme was challenged in the High Court by a section of candidates who were on the waitlist for appointments from the same 2016 recruitment process. They argued that providing financial support to those whose appointments were declared illegal by the Supreme Court effectively "frustrated" the apex court's order and amounted to rewarding corruption.

During the hearing, Justice Sinha questioned the rationale behind the scheme, asking, "What work will they do against the interim relief? Will they just stay at home and get it?" She also noted that the Supreme Court had unequivocally deemed the appointments a result of "fraud," and thus, "no person who was the beneficiary of a fraudulent act... ought to be provided any support." The court also took issue with what it perceived as a "pick and choose" method, providing relief to one group of jobless candidates while excluding others, such as the waitlisted candidates who also suffered due to the scam.

The court directed the state government to file an affidavit in opposition within four weeks, and the petitioners to submit their replies within two weeks thereafter. The matter is scheduled for a detailed hearing after six weeks.

Reacting to the High Court's order, Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh criticized the opposition parties, calling them "anti-Bengal brigade" who "ran to the Calcutta High Court and got it struck down." He asserted that the Chief Minister's relief was arranged on "humanitarian grounds."

The state government has indicated that it plans to challenge the single-bench order before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court. The Supreme Court is also slated to hear a review petition filed by the state against the original April 3 judgment next month.

The interim stay means that the disbursal of these monthly allowances will be halted until at least September 26, impacting thousands of dismissed staff members.