A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued an appeal to the judiciary to consider how those whose services have been terminated can be returned, senior advocate and CPI(M)’s Rajya Sabha member Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya sought the permission of the Calcutta High Court to file a contempt of court petition against the Trinamool Congress supremo.
The division bench asked the CPI(M) leader to make the submissions in an affidavit before the court after which it will take a decision.
The CM’s comments came as the Calcutta High Court recently ordered the dismissal of 842 state government employees from their jobs for being recruited through illegal means. Many allegedly had direct links to the ruling Trinamool Congress
The court has to date cancelled the appointments of 4,853 undeserving aspirants who were appointed as teachers and non-teaching staff in various state-run schools between 2014 and 2021 using illegal means. The aspirants had allegedly paid bribes to enhance their scores and find a place on the merit list.
On Tuesday, the CM urged the judiciary to take corrective measures if “mistakes” were committed in the recruitment process but said no one should be terminated from services as they have families to support. She added that two people have died by suicide after being dismissed from their jobs.
The chief minister said that if she has made a mistake, she could be slapped and she will not mind, adding that she has not wronged anyone, knowingly. “After I came to power, I have not taken away the jobs of CPI(M) cadres, but why are you doing this? You don’t have the ability to give a job, but you are snatching away people’s livelihoods,” she said.
Bhattacharya, who is fighting many of these cases in the court, said that instead of asking the court to rethink its decision of terminating the services of undeserving candidates, the CM must step down taking responsibility for the entire scam.
Earlier, in July 2022, the West Bengal government had removed former state education minister Partha Chatterjee for alleged money laundering in the multi-crore recruitment scam. Chatterjee is currently in judicial custody.