The Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal’s state-run and aided schools, terming the recruitment process ”vitiated and tainted”, as reported by PTI. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a previous Calcutta High Court decision that found serious irregularities in the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment.
While announcing the verdict, Chief Justice Khanna clarified that the employees who were affected would not need to return the salaries they had received. However, the court has also ordered to start a fresh selection process and complete it within three months. The bench on humanitarian grounds also sanctions an exemption to disabled employees for continuing to do services.
BJP demands Mamata’s resignation
The judgment has sparked strong political backlash, with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) holding West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accountable. ”The sole responsibility for this massive corruption in teacher recruitment lies with the failed Chief Minister, ” posted BJP president and Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar on X, as quoted by PTI. He demanded Banerjee’s resignation, calling it a ‘’huge corruption scandal.’’
TMC and Teacher’s reaction
Majumdar also raised concern for deserving candidates who have been included in the controversy despite clearing the examination on merit. She stated that the ”corrupt mishandling” of the recruitment process made it impossible to differentiate between fair and fraudulent appointments.
Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sena, while talking to PTI, stated that the party respects the decision of the Supreme Court and has reasserted its stand against corruption. She pointed out that the state would reevaluate the order carefully before deciding next steps.
Many affected teachers who have qualified for the 2016 SSC exam were shattered. ”What is our fault?’’ one of them told the reporters while crying. Another candidate voiced their concern related to over age restrictions for future recruitment. ”We’re told we can sit again, but many of us are more than 30 now.”
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the state’s plea challenging a CBI investigation of the case on April 4th.
(With inputs from PTI)