New Delhi, Oct 27 (UNI) In a major relief to lakhs of rural workers in West Bengal, the Supreme Court today directed the union Government to release 100-day work funds to the state for clearing pending dues under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta also upheld the Calcutta High Court’s order directing the resumption of the scheme from August 1, 2025.
The apex judiciary dismissed the Centre’s plea challenging the High Court order, which had mandated the prospective implementation of MGNREGA in the state after it remained suspended for nearly three years due to alleged financial irregularities.
“We are not convinced that the impugned order requires any interference. The Special Leave Petition is dismissed,” the bench observed, thereby affirming the High Court’s directive to restart the scheme.
The MGNREGA scheme, which guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households, has been put on hold in West Bengal since 2022 after the Centre alleged large-scale embezzlement in the utilisation of funds.
The issue reached the Calcutta High Court through a petition filed by Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity, representing daily wage labourers who had been deprived of their livelihood. In its detailed order, the High Court had held that irregularities in payment “cannot be a ground to put on hold the scheme for eternity.” It emphasised that the very spirit of the Act is to safeguard the livelihood rights of rural workers.
“The scheme of the Act does not envisage a situation where it would be put to cold storage for eternity. The Central Government has sufficient means to enquire into the irregularities in the disbursement of wages. However, there can be a line drawn between past actions and future steps to be taken for implementation,” the High Court had stated, adding that resuming the scheme would serve the larger public interest.
While permitting the Centre to continue its inquiry into the alleged embezzlement, the High Court directed that MGNREGA be implemented prospectively from August 1, 2025.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the union Government before the Supreme Court, while Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal represented the State of West Bengal.
Senior Advocate Dr. S. Muralidhar and Advocate-on-Record Prasanna S appeared for the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity. With the Supreme Court’s order, the path is now clear for the revival of the 100-day rural employment scheme in West Bengal, ensuring that thousands of workers awaiting wages and job opportunities can look forward to the scheme’s full-scale resumption from next year.
The Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s direction that MGNREGA be implemented prospectively from August 1, 2025.
