Calcutta HC Rules Contractual Staff Without Govt Approval Ineligible for Retirement Benefits
Click to start listening
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court has determined that contractual staff in West Bengal municipalities, hired without state government approval, are not eligible for retirement benefits. This ruling highlights the necessity of proper authorization for such appointments.
Key Takeaways
- Contractual staff without state approval lack retirement benefits.
- Municipal and state government consent is crucial for hiring.
- Previous employment practices during the Left Front administration are under scrutiny.
- Justice Kausik Chanda delivered the ruling.
- Case involved the family of a deceased contractual employee.
Kolkata, March 3 (NationPress) The contractual staff employed by various municipalities in West Bengal whose hiring was conducted without the necessary approval from the state government will not qualify for retirement benefits, as per a ruling from the Calcutta High Court on Monday.
The bench, led by Justice Kausik Chanda, noted that hiring employees in different municipalities necessitates the agreement of both the relevant municipal boards and the state government.
It was highlighted that numerous cases of contractual employment had occurred in various municipalities across West Bengal, primarily during the previous Left Front administration, where agreements were made solely with the municipal boards and without state government consent.
In these instances, Justice Chanda remarked that those contractual employees appointed without the state government's approval are not entitled to post-retirement benefits, as the positions were not regularized through the state's consent.
This ruling came during the court's deliberation on a case presented by the family of a deceased contractual staff member from a school managed by Raiganj Municipality in North Dinajpur, West Bengal.
Following his passing, his relatives sought pension and other post-retirement benefits from the Calcutta High Court. However, the legal representatives for Raiganj Municipality contended that contractual employees of municipalities could receive post-retirement benefits only if their appointments were formalized with state government approval.
Ultimately, the single-judge bench agreed with their standpoint and ruled that such municipal staff would not be eligible for post-retirement benefits.
