High Court Blocks West Bengal's Financial Aid Scheme for Fraudulent Appointments

The Calcutta High Court issued an interim order this Friday, preventing the West Bengal government from implementing a scheme to support non-teaching staff who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court ruling. Justice Amrita Sinha asserted that proceeding with the scheme would implicitly condone corruption and fraudulent activities.

The court's decision comes in response to petitions opposing the state's initiative to offer Rs 25,000 to Group C and Rs 20,000 to Group D employee whose appointments were found illegal. Justice Sinha directed the state to postpone implementing the scheme until further notice, emphasizing the primacy of legal integrity and adherence to Supreme Court decisions.

The West Bengal government announced the financial support plan following the Supreme Court's annulment of the 2016 SSC recruitment process. Justice Sinha criticized the move, stating it provides undue aid from the public coffers to those involved in fraudulent appointments, thus challenging the higher court's authority.

(With inputs from agencies.)