Suchitra Khan Kundu And ORS v. Union Of India And ORS

08.07.2024.

Court No. 13 Item No. 34 sp W.P.A. No. 24461 of 2014 Suchitra Khan (Kundu) & Ors.

Versus

Union of India & Ors.

Mr. Raja Biswas, Mr. Abhijit Sarkar ...For the petitioner.

1. Affidavit-of-service filed in Court today be taken on record.

2. The petitioners are all engaged as Cluster Coordinators under the National Programme of Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) scheme of 2006. They were paid honorarium for the services rendered. The scheme was discontinued in the year 2013.

3. The petitioners are aggrieved that the scheme ought not to have been discontinued in the first place and if discontinued, they should have been absorbed in other scheme of the Central Government or the State Government under the Paschim Banga Sarva Siksha Mission (PGSSM).

4. Continuation or discontinuation of a beneficial scheme is a policy decision within the domain of the State and is generally not interfered with under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.

5. This Court notes that the writ petition has been filed in the year 2014. The petitioners' right may have been extinguished by efflux of time. Nothing has prevented the petitioners from applying as Samprasarika and Samprasarak etc. under the PGSSM in 2013 itself.

6. In those circumstances, no relief can be granted to the petitioners. Hence, the writ petition fails and hereby dismissed.

7. There will be no order as to costs.

8. All parties are directed to act on a server copy of this order duly downloaded from the official website of this Court.

(Rajasekhar Mantha, J.)