The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the West Bengal government's order of granting Rs 10,000 each to various Durga Puja committees for celebrations.
A two-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice Madan Bhinmrao Lokur and comprising Justice Deepak Gupta issued a notice to the West Bengal government and sought a detailed affidavit within six weeks.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had last month announced a grant of Rs 28 crore to 28,000 puja committees across the state for the Durga Puja festival.
The Chief Minister said that her government will provide Rs 10,000 each to the Puja Committees under the "community development programme."
A total of 3000 Durga Puja committees are in Kolkata and another 25000 across the state.
The Chief Minister also announced that the puja communities will not have to pay a fee to the fire department to obtain a licence.
Durga Puja, which is one of the prominent festivals of West Bengal, will begin on October 15.
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