KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered an interim stay till September 26 on the West Bengal government’s financial scheme to provide interim relief for Group C & D non-teaching employees in state-aided schools, who had recently lost their jobs following the Supreme Court order on April 3.

Justice Amrita Sinha in the interim order prohibited the state from implementing the scheme till September 26 or until further orders. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced a monthly honorarium of Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000 for some 5,000-odd Group C and D non-teaching employees in state-aided schools who had lost their jobs after the apex court’s ruling.

The Calcutta High Court’s order is related to the West Bengal government’s notification providing monthly interim relief of Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively to them.

Justice Sinha on Friday directed the petitioners to file affidavits within four weeks. The West Bengal government will file an affidavit in reply within a fortnight thereafter before the petition comes up for the next hearing.

The waitlisted candidates had filed the petition in the High Court urging for a stay on the state government’s relief scheme arguing that the scheme “frustrated” the Supreme Court order.

Reacting to the High Court order, the Trinamool Congress attacked the opposition parties and labelled them as “real enemies of people of Bengal”. The party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “After the Supreme Court’s order, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended an interim financial allowance to the affected Group-C and Group-D workers. But the Bangla-Birodhi brigade (anti-Bengal brigade) ran to the Calcutta High Court and got it struck down.”

He further added, “They won’t help the people, and they won’t let anyone else help either. They are enemies of Bengal. Enemies of our people. Plain and simple.”