Fri Jun 20 16:03:47 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
The Calcutta High Court has blocked the West Bengal government from paying an honorarium to Group C and D employees who were terminated by a Supreme Court order in April 2025. The Supreme Court order had annulled the appointment of over 25,000 employees including teachers and Group C and D staff in state run schools, after finding the appointments to be fraudulent and corrupt. The Court stated that the honorarium scheme seemed like a way to tacitly support fraudulent activities. The opposition welcomed the decision, labeling the honorarium as illegal, while the ruling Trinamool Congress criticized the court’s decision, accusing them of being “enemies of Bengal.”
**News Article:**
**Calcutta High Court Blocks West Bengal Honorarium to Terminated Employees**
**Kolkata – June 20, 2025:** The Calcutta High Court today issued an interim order restraining the West Bengal government from disbursing honorarium payments to Group C and D employees whose appointments were previously nullified by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court, on April 3, 2025, had invalidated the appointments of 25,752 employees, including teachers and Group C and D staff, due to concerns of fraudulent activity and corruption in the appointment process. While teachers were allowed to continue in their roles until fresh recruitment in December 2025, the fate of Group C and D employees remained uncertain.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee subsequently announced an honorarium of ₹25,000 for Group C and ₹20,000 for Group D employees, pending a more permanent resolution.
Justice Amrita Sinha criticized the honorarium scheme, stating it did not promote securing work and appeared to tacitly support fraudulent activities. “The scheme is also not providing any public assistance to any unemployed candidate. On the contrary it appears that, the State is providing financial assistance to candidates whose job stood terminated by the order of the court as the same was result of cheating,” she noted in her order.
The order is set to be in effect until September 26, 2025.
Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari applauded the court’s decision, calling the honorarium an “illegality” designed to pay individuals for no service rendered. The ruling Trinamool Congress reacted strongly against the court order, posting online that the court’s actions are the actions of “enemies of Bengal. Enemies of our people. Plain and simple.”
Representatives of the affected Group C and D employees stated their preference for permanent jobs over temporary honorarium payments. While the state government has initiated recruitment for teachers, no similar announcements have been made for Group C and D positions.
First Piper 