Authority: High Court at Calcutta, Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri
Order Date: 07 October 2026
Case Overview
- Petitioners: Pankaj Mahato, Tapan Kr. Dey, Swapna Roy, Soutam Das and others, filing WPA No. 1557 of 2026 and related writ petitions (WPA No. 13 of 2020, etc.) against the State of West Bengal and its agencies.
- Respondents: State of West Bengal, West Bengal Transport Department (1st respondent), North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC).
- The petitioners sought a writ of mandamus directing regularization of their services with all consequential benefits.
- The matter had been previously decided in several coordinated bench judgments (WPA 19215 of 2015, WPA 19367 of 2015, WPA 28597 of 2015, WPA 4419 of 2014, WPA 4420 of 2014) which ordered regularization from the filing date for notional benefits.
- A Division Bench order dated 15 July 2026 in FMA 3642 of 2015 also directed regularization in sanctioned vacant posts, with actual benefits from the order date.
- The court noted that no appeal is pending before the Supreme Court against the Division Bench order.
Final Outcome
- The writ petitions are allowed.
- The Secretary, West Bengal Transport Department is directed to regularize the petitioners in any available sanctioned vacant posts of NBSTC.
- Regularization will be deemed effective from the date of filing of each writ petition solely for computing notional benefits; actual benefits shall be paid from the date of this order.
- The entire regularization process must be completed within eight weeks of the order’s communication.
- No order as to costs; the petitioners’ allegations are deemed not admitted as no affidavit was filed.
- An urgent certified copy of the order may be supplied upon compliance with formalities.
Topics: Service Regularization, Public Transport Employment, Judicial Relief