Siliguri, 24th August: A 48-hour court closure protest began across West Bengal, including Siliguri, on Monday over various pending demands of court employees. The West Bengal Court Employees Association (WBCEA), along with several other employee organisations, has called for the protest on August 24 and 25.
According to the secretary of the Siliguri Court Employees Association, the last recruitment of court employees in Darjeeling district was conducted in 2019. Despite several employees retiring since then, no fresh recruitment has been carried out. The association claims that only around 50 employees are currently working against approximately 135 sanctioned posts, putting additional pressure on the functioning of the courts.
Employees said the shortage of staff has forced existing personnel to handle multiple responsibilities and additional workloads. They claimed that the increasing workload is creating difficulties in completing judicial and administrative work on time. Along with recruitment, the employees have also demanded time-bound promotions.
Another major demand is the necessary amendment of the Service Rules, 2015, and the early publication of the revised rules.
The employees also raised the long-pending demand for a new court building in Siliguri. According to them, the demand for construction of a new court building has been pending for a long time, but the required approval has not yet been granted.
They also highlighted the increasing use of technical systems such as e-Courts, CIS, central filing and server operations, claiming that there are not enough dedicated technical posts to handle these responsibilities. The employees have demanded the creation of separate permanent posts for technical work so that clerical and other staff are not burdened with additional technical duties.
The protesting employees have also demanded the regularisation of staff who have been working in Fast Track Courts for a long time.
Employee representatives said they had repeatedly submitted applications and letters regarding their demands to authorities at the district level, as well as to the Registrar General of the Calcutta High Court and other concerned officials. However, they claimed that no satisfactory resolution has been reached on their major demands, prompting them to launch the statewide protest.
Court employees began a peaceful demonstration at the Siliguri court premises on Monday. The employee representatives said that a further course of action would be decided at a meeting of the state committee after the 48-hour protest. They warned that the movement could be intensified if the government and concerned authorities fail to take concrete action on their demands.