After the West Bengal government’s significant setback in the teachers’ recruitment case, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court’s ruling. She made it clear that while she personally disagrees with the judgment, her government will comply and repeat the recruitment process as mandated. Banerjee also raised questions about whether the opposition parties, BJP and CPM, were aiming to disrupt Bengal’s education system.
“As a citizen of this country, I have every right, and I cannot accept this judgment, with due respect to the judges. I am expressing my opinion from a humanitarian perspective. Don’t misinform or create confusion,” she told the media. Banerjee confirmed that the government would follow the court’s order and has directed the School Service Commission to repeat the recruitment process.
The Calcutta High Court’s order to cancel the appointments of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff appointed under the West Bengal School Service Commission was upheld by the Supreme Court. The court held that the whole selection process was tainted with fraud and manipulation and hence the appointments were illegitimate.
In response, Banerjee questioned the fairness of the judgment, highlighting that those appointed through proper means were also suffering as a result of the fraudulence. She asked why so many innocent people had to bear the brunt for the actions of a few. “It’s not just 25,000 individuals; their families are affected too,” she said.
She also drew a comparison to the recent case involving the recovery of a large sum of money from Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma’s residence, questioning why the judge involved was merely transferred while the teachers were being punished so harshly. “If money is found at a sitting judge’s home, they are transferred. So, why weren’t these candidates simply transferred?” she asked. Banerjee insinuated a conspiracy, claiming that the BJP and CPM were involved in orchestrating the verdict and accusing them of conspiring to target Bengal.
The Chief Minister raised concerns about the future of the state’s education system, especially with over 11,000 affected teachers teaching crucial Class 9 and 10 students and more than 5,500 working with Classes 11 and 12. “These are vital years for students, leading to higher education and board exams. How will the education system function if so many teachers lose their jobs? Is this what BJP and CPM want—to destroy Bengal’s education system?” she questioned.