The West Bengal government on Thursday informed the Calcutta High Court that attendance for government employees on International Yoga Day is not mandatory, offering relief to employees who had challenged a prior directive requiring their presence at workplaces on June 21.
Clarifying the state’s position, the Additional Advocate General told the court that participation in Yoga Day programmes will be entirely voluntary. The assurance came during a hearing before Justice Amrita Sinha, in response to a petition filed by the State Coordination Committee.
The case pertains to a notification issued on June 14 by the State Chief Secretary, which directed all employees of government, semi-government, and state-run institutions to report to duty on June 21, coinciding with International Yoga Day. The directive had sparked objections, prompting the Coordination Committee to move the High Court against what it termed as mandatory attendance on a holiday.
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During the hearing, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, representing the petitioners, argued that numerous commemorative days are observed throughout the year and cited examples such as World No Tobacco Day, Teachers’ Day, and World Health Day.
In a lighter moment during the proceedings, Justice Amrita Sinha humorously interjected, asking, “You mentioned so many days, but did you forget to mention Valentine’s Day?” The remark drew laughter in the courtroom.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on Friday. The Additional Advocate General is expected to seek detailed instructions from the state government regarding the June 14 notification issued by Nabanna, the state secretariat.
The court is likely to take up the issue again to determine whether any modification or clarification of the original directive is required.
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