The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a Calcutta high court order directing the Centre to resume the MGNREGA scheme in West Bengal. The employment guarantee programme had been on hold since 2022 amid allegations of fund embezzlement. The high court issued the directive in June, which the top court has now affirmed.
A Supreme Court bench dismissed the Centre's appeal challenging the high court's June 18 order. Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta stated, “We are not convinced that the order requires any interference.” The high court had directed implementation of the scheme from August 1, 2025, while allowing the Centre to continue its probe but emphasising that the programme could not be indefinitely suspended.
The high court ruling came on a petition by Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity, alleging non-payment of dues to daily wage workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The court observed, “The scheme of the act does not envisage a situation where it would be put to cold storage for eternity…there can be a line drawn between past actions and future steps to be taken for implementation.”
The scheme had been halted since 2022 due to alleged corruption, prompting the Centre to withhold funds. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that widespread irregularities justified the suspension and that the high court overstepped by ordering resumption. The bench, however, rejected the appeal.
Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee welcomed the verdict. In a post on X, he said, “Our dues aren’t released even after the Supreme Court’s say, Bengal will rise and take the fight again to Delhi’s way. The ZAMINDARS have fallen in VOTE and in COURT, Yet they play their games with ED and EC’s support.”
The decision holds significance for the rural employment guarantee programme, which promises 100 days of work to labourers.