The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to resume the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in West Bengal from August 1, 2025. The court allowed the Union government to impose necessary safeguards to prevent corruption but emphasised that the scheme could not be indefinitely stalled at the cost of millions of rural beneficiaries.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam observed that while fund misuse was established in four districts, the suspension of the entire scheme across the state for over three years was unjustifiable. The bench pointed out that MGNREGA is a centrally funded, long-term employment scheme that directly credits wages to workers’ bank accounts and should not be withheld based on limited irregularities.
West Bengal was allocated Rs 50,593 crore under the 100 Days Work Scheme between 2016 and 2022. The irregularities in question amounted to just Rs 9.20 crore, and action has already been taken against those responsible. The state government submitted all relevant documents to the Ministry of Rural Development for scrutiny.
The verdict triggered political reactions. BJP leader Amit Malviya hailed the ruling as a “massive win in the fight against corruption,” claiming that the central monitoring of the scheme would prevent future misuse. He also asserted that Mamata Banerjee’s government could no longer “loot” public funds.
On the other hand, the ruling Trinamool Congress welcomed the court order, calling it a “crucial victory” for Bengal’s 59 lakh job card holders. “This verdict vindicates our stand,” the party posted on X (formerly Twitter), crediting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee for the sustained campaign against the Centre’s “injustice.”
The court scheduled the next hearing after August 15.
(With PTI Inputs)