Calcutta HC seeks Durga Puja grant records, asks State for affidavit in 48 hours

The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the West Bengal government to file an affidavit within 48 hours detailing records of Durga Puja grants. The bench of Justice Sujoy Pal sought information on how many clubs submitted expenditure accounts for grants received till last year and what actions were taken against those that failed to comply.

During the hearing, the state’s Advocate General stated that the court had not objected to the disbursal of grants and suggested the matter be heard after the festival. Justice Sujoy Pal disagreed, observing that the case would lose relevance after Puja if records were not furnished beforehand. The court noted that several clubs had not filed proper accounts despite repeated directions.

The petition before the court alleged that many clubs had received grants in previous years without providing utilisation certificates. The bench instructed the state to submit details of grant distribution, expenditure reports from the clubs, and any measures taken against defaulters. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for Wednesday.

The state government introduced the Durga Puja grant in 2019 at ₹25,000 per club. The amount was increased to ₹50,000 in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and further raised to ₹1,10,000 this year. A resident of Durgapur, Saurav Dutta, had earlier filed a Public Interest Litigation challenging the scheme on grounds of secularism. Fresh applications in connection with the same case continue to be placed before the court.