The high court on Monday demanded clarification from the Bengal government about Durga Puja committees that have failed to submit utilisation certificates for government grants, despite a standing court directive.
“How many committees are yet to file their utilisation certificates? Are they still receiving the grant?” asked a division bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De.
The inquiry stems from a September 2022 order by a division bench of then Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj that required all registered puja committees receiving government grants to submit utilisation certificates with supporting vouchers to district SDOs and designated officers under Kolkata Police jurisdiction.
The court has been hearing two public interest litigations challenging the state government’s decision to increase annual grants to Durga Puja committees from ₹85,000 to ₹1.1 lakh.
Petitioner Sourav Dutta of Durgapur questioned the use of state funds for puja committees. His counsel, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya and Shamim Ahmed, argued that these funds should be utilised for state development instead of religious festivals.
Advocate-general Kishore Dutta countered that the grants support public welfare activities and promote schemes like “Safe Drive, Save Life.”
Justice Paul said the government must take action against defaulting committees. “Since the court has directed the puja committees to submit utilisation certificates of the dole amount, the government will have to take action against the defaulters,” he said.
Justice Paul also said that the PIL will be heard again on Wednesday when the state must submit its affidavit.
The Mamata Banerjee government launched financial support for Durga Puja organisers in 2018 with ₹10,000 per committee. The amount has increased steadily:
- 2019: ₹25,000
- 2024: ₹85,000, distributing over ₹350 crore
- This year, the grant was increased to ₹1.1 lakh per committee.
Govt’s defence
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, while announcing this year’s grants at Netaji Indoor Stadium on July 31, emphasised the festival’s economic impact.
“This is a festival. So many people get work because of Puja,” she said, addressing criticism about the grants. “We have 45,000 clubs that organise Durga Puja in Bengal.”
She noted that organisers begin working on themes immediately after each festival, providing employment for three to four months.
Puja organisers in Calcutta maintain they have met documentation requirements. Kajal Sarkar of Bosepukur Sitalamandir Puja Committee pointed out that local police officers routinely follow up on utilisation certificates after each festival.
“There are clear heads under which the fund can be utilised, and it does not include the price of the Durga idol or even the puja pandal,” Sarkar said.
Saswata Basu, vice-president of the Forum for Durgostav, an umbrella organisation representing major Calcutta puja committees, insisted no city committee has failed to file certificates.
“Unless a puja committee submits the utilisation certificate of the previous year, it is not entitled to the dole for the next year,” Basu said.
However, the court’s pointed questions suggest compliance gaps may exist beyond Calcutta, raising concerns about oversight of this rapidly expanding grant programme.