In a significant development, the Calcutta High Court has nullified the entire 2016 recruitment panel for school teachers, involving approximately 24,000 positions, in response to a purported jobs scam. The court’s decision comes as a major blow to the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) and has far-reaching implications for the state’s education system.
BIG setback for Mamata Govt:
Calcutta High Court Cancels Recruitment of all 25 thousand Teachers appointed at 2016 of SSC after finding out that massive corruption took place. They are ordered to return their salary within six weeks.
Calcutta HC also gives power to CBI to… pic.twitter.com/YBptmDXJV5
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) April 22, 2024
During the hearing, a division bench comprising Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi made the ruling, asserting that individuals recruited under dubious circumstances, including those who used blank OMR sheets, must refund their salaries within four weeks. This directive was issued to the district magistrate, tasked with collecting reimbursements from the implicated teachers.
The annulled recruitment panel encompasses all appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff made through the WBSSC entrance examination in 2016, affecting various state-government-sponsored and aided schools across Bengal. Additionally, the bench mandated the re-evaluation of approximately 23 lakh OMR sheets from the recruitment entrance exam. Despite appeals for a stay on the order, the bench rejected the request, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
In a move aimed at ensuring accountability and transparency, the High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a thorough investigation into the appointment process and submit a comprehensive report within three months. This decision reflects the court’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the recruitment process and rooting out corruption.
Furthermore, the WBSSC has been instructed to initiate a fresh appointment process to fill the vacant positions. The 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST) conducted by the WBSSC saw participation from over 23 lakh candidates vying for the available 24,000 posts.
The court’s ruling has been met with widespread relief and jubilation among job aspirants, who had anxiously awaited the verdict. This judgment marks a crucial milestone in the ongoing legal battle against corruption within the education sector in West Bengal.
The case, which concluded on March 20 after months of deliberation, stemmed from an earlier order by the court prompting a CBI investigation. Notably, former Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the federal agency in 2022 in connection with the alleged scam, following orders from former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Ganguly, now a BJP candidate in the state’s Lok Sabha elections.
