16-01-2026 Item No. Subrata Bhattacharyya AR(C) IN THE HIGH COURT AT CALCUTTA Constitutional Writ Jurisdiction Appellate Side WPA No.21268 of 2025 Sandipa Sen -vs- The State of West Bengal & Ors. Mr. Ujjal Ray Ms. Atreya Chkraborty …for the petitioner Ms. Koyeli Bhattacharyya Mr. Bibek Dutta …for the Board Mr. Sunit Kumar Roy Ms. Susmita Mondal …for WBCSCC 1. The petitioner seeks notional benefit. She is a general category candidate. She was recommended for appointment in a school but when the petitioner went to the school for joining, it revealed that the post in which she was recommended was earmarked for physically handicapped category. The petitioner sought for further recommendation. 2. The process of recommendation consumed some time. The first recommendation being made on November 18, 2024 and the second one on February 7, 2025. The petitioner joined the school on February 20, 2025. 3. Grievance of the petitioner is that had the recommendation been made in proper time and the petitioner could have joined school prior to January 2025, she would have been entitled to an increment in July 2025. As the petitioner joined after January, 2025, she lost the opportunity to get the increment. 2 4. The petitioner submits that such delay in her appointment was in no way attributable to her. Accordingly, she should not be deprived of the increment. 5. A similar issue came up for consideration before this Court; and vide order dated August 8, 2025 passed by the Hon’ble Division Bench in MAT No.1247 of 2025 with CAN No.1 of 2025 (Saktipada Pradhan –vs- The State of West Bengal & Ors.), this Court was pleased to hold that equity regards that justice should be done. Balancing the equities among the parties, the Court opined that the incremental benefits cannot be scuttled and the deficiency in service towards grant of incremental benefit of about a month needs to be condoned. Such condonation would have no regard to other service related benefits including the seniority. The date of appointment of the candidate shall remain the same. The Court directed the State to grant incremental benefit as specified under Rule 10 of the notification dated December 13, 2019 of the West Bengal Revision of Pay and Allowances Rules 2019. 6. In view of the binding precedent of the Hon’ble Division Bench, the instant writ petition is disposed of by directing the State to grant the petitioner the incremental benefit which she is entitled to in terms of the above Rule at the earliest. 7. Certified copy of this order, if applied for, shall be made available to the parties. [Amrita Sinha, J] 3