Calcutta High Court orders resumption of MGNREGA in West Bengal from August 1

Kolkata, Jun 19 (KNN) After nearly three years of enforced suspension, the Calcutta High Court has directed the Union government to restart the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in West Bengal, effective August 1, 2025.

The division bench, led by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Chaitali Chatterjee, emphasised that “no central project can be sent to cold storage forever,” asserting the urgent need to revive the scheme that guarantees 100 days of rural employment annually.

The Centre had frozen MGNREGA funding in March 2022 under Section 27 of the Act, citing alleged widespread irregularities, identified in dozens of work sites during audits. 

However, the court noted that such allegations—even against multiple districts—do not justify an indefinite suspension that harms genuine workers .

Accordingly, the court authorised the Centre to impose necessary safeguards—such as direct wage transfers, special oversight, and restriction zones—to prevent past misuses while allowing investigations and recoveries to continue in parallel. 

It stressed that recovered funds must be deposited into the Consolidated Fund of India, not remain in local nodal accounts.

Advocate Purbayan Chakraborty, representing rural labour groups, welcomed the order, stating it restores dignity and livelihood to 25 million registered workers in Bengal. 

Meanwhile, the Centre and state governments retain the authority to proceed with legal actions against those accused of irregularities, without delaying the scheme’s reinstatement.

The bench has set the next hearing for shortly after August 15, to review progress on implementation and oversight measures.

(KNN Bureau)