The Supreme Court of India has delivered its final word on the notorious West Bengal school jobs scam. The apex court on August 19, dismissed the Mamata-led government’s review petition against the cancellation of over 26,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs, a decision that cements the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime’s complicity in what is now being described as one of the largest recruitment scams in the state’s history.
The Court’s order not only seals the fate of those illegally appointed but also places direct responsibility for the fraud, manipulation, and attempted cover-up squarely on the shoulders of the Banerjee administration. The political shockwaves of this verdict are expected to be immense, especially with Bengal’s Assembly elections looming next year.
The saga dates back to the 2016 recruitment drive by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC), which was supposed to fill thousands of teaching and non-teaching vacancies. Instead of providing deserving candidates with fair opportunities, the process became a cesspool of corruption.
The Calcutta High Court found that the recruitment drive had been vitiated by fraud and manipulation at every level. Candidates with lower scores were appointed, answer scripts mysteriously disappeared, and merit lists were tampered with. Those with political links or the right amount of money walked away with jobs meant for hardworking aspirants.
The most damning evidence was the SSC’s failure to preserve original OMR sheets — the very foundation of any transparent recruitment process. Neither originals nor mirror copies were retained, making any impartial verification impossible. As the Supreme Court observed, this was not an accident but a deliberate subversion of due process.
On April 7, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s order scrapping the entire recruitment process. On Tuesday, it dismissed Mamata Banerjee’s review plea, stating in unequivocal terms that the petition was nothing but an attempt to reargue a case that had already been comprehensively decided.
The Court minced no words, “The adverse remarks made against the authorities concerned, who were wholly and solely responsible for this entire imbroglio, adversely affecting the lives of thousands of candidates, untainted and tainted, were fully warranted and justified.”
“Invalidation of untainted appointments, no doubt, would lead to heartburn and anguish… but protecting the purity of the selection process is paramount and necessarily has to be given the highest priority.” In effect, the Court has branded Mamata Banerjee’s administration as the architect of a fraud that shattered the dreams of an entire generation of Bengal’s youth.
The scandal did not end with the fraudulent appointments. The Court highlighted attempts at a cover-up by state authorities, including the deliberate destruction of crucial records and manipulation of audit processes.
This brazen misconduct transformed what could have been an “administrative irregularity” into state-sanctioned fraud, reflecting a complete breakdown of governance under the Trinamool regime.
The cancellation of 25,753 appointments, coupled with the Court’s directive to return all salaries with 12 percent interest, has left the Mamata government not only politically embarrassed but also financially and administratively cornered.
Unwilling to accept responsibility, Mamata Banerjee has responded with characteristic defiance. At Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium, addressing the sacked teachers, she attempted to draw false parallels with recruitment scandals in BJP-ruled states.
She declared, “In the Vyapam case in Madhya Pradesh, so many people were killed. They have not got justice till today. In NEET, many allegations surfaced. The Supreme Court did not cancel the examination. Why is Bengal being targeted? You are scared of Bengal’s talent.” Unlike Vyapam or NEET, where investigations are still unfolding, the SSC scam has been proven in court with clear evidence of manipulation and missing records all under Mamata’s watch.
The human cost of the scam has been devastating. Thousands of dismissed teachers and staff have taken to the streets, staging relentless protests and clashing with police. Their anger is directed not only at losing their jobs but at being forced to pay the price for the government’s corruption.
When Mamata announced a fresh recruitment drive for 44,203 posts with age relaxations for sacked staff, the gesture fell flat. Many dismissed teachers outright refused to reapply. “We will not sit for a fresh exam. Our demand is clear justice and reinstatement,” they shouted in unison.
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