Cal HC stays notification abolishing pension for PAs, CAs

The Calcutta High Court today stayed a notification by the West Bengal government abolishing pension to retired personal assistants and confidential assistants of ministers.
The previous Left Front government had made the West Bengal Special Assistant and Confidential Assistant of Ministers Rule, 1996, granting pension to retired PAs and CAs of ministers.
On February 22 this year, the present government abolished the rule following a notification on March 1, counsel for the petitioners submitted before Justice Sambuddha Chakraborti.
As such, pensions to the PAs and CAs were stopped from March.
Abdur Rauf, who was PA to former minister Naren De and nine others, had moved a writ petition before the high court challenging the notification and seeking restoration of pension.

Hearing their plea, Justice Chakraborti passed an interim injunction, staying the notification for six weeks and directed all the concerned parties to submit affidavits stating their stands within four weeks.
The matter will come up for hearing after five weeks.