The Calcutta High Court has disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) directing the West Bengal government to ensure that all municipal recruitments are made through the West Bengal Municipal Service Commission.
The petitioner, Sandipan Khan, alleged that municipalities have been making direct recruitments without approaching the Commission, which was constituted by the West Bengal Act XII of 2018.
The court observed that the Commission was made functional in January 2019, and the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department issued a notification advising municipalities to make recruitments through the Commission.
However, the petitioner’s grievance pertained to recruitments made prior to January 2019, which the court held could not be scrutinized or reopened at this distance of time.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya directed the government to issue orders reiterating the directions given in the January 2019 notification, ensuring that all urban local bodies and development authorities make recruitments through the West Bengal Municipal Service Commission.