The Supreme Court’s decision on the West Bengal government job scam made 26,000 jobs on Thursday. Describing the selection process as “contaminated and tainted”, a bench of Chief Justice (CJI) Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld the Calcutta High Court’s verdict on 22 April 2024, in which all appointments were canceled.
The decision of the top court of collective dismissal has created a great resentment among those who claim that they were admitted on merit. There have been scenes on social media in which appointed teachers and other employees were seen crying because the court’s decision has brought him to the brink of uncertainty.
Disappointed teachers say, they were ‘imprisoned punished’
According to a report by India Today, Rajat Haldar, a teacher appointed by West Bengal SSC in 2016, expressed deep disappointment that innocent and reliable teachers are suffering the government’s corruption. Haldar said, “There is no allegation against 19,000 candidates like us and me. But still, the Supreme Court has declared us an unqualified teacher.”
He argued that the decision of the apex court is inappropriate with “impeccable” teachers. He said, “We are eligible teachers because the investigating agencies have not received any allegations against me. We are completely impeccable teachers. The Supreme Court has done severe injustice to a impeccable candidate like me.”
Talking to NDTV, Pratap Roychowdhri, a teacher teaching in a school in South 24 Parganas near Kolkata, said, “If a person loses his job, you can imagine what effect it has on his family. The loan, EMI and many people depend on him. Everything will end.”
Shahni Nazneen, another sacked teacher, told India Today that the decision is “unacceptable”, seeking evidence of wrongdoing. He asked, “The CBI presented a list of tainted and immaculate candidates in the court. Why are we being punished by snatching our jobs?”
Supreme Court gave invalid agreement to 26,000 government jobs
The Supreme Court on Thursday termed the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other employees in West Bengal and the state -aided schools and termed their selection process “contaminated and tainted”. While giving the verdict, the Chief Justice said that the employees whose appointments have been canceled do not have to return their salary and other allowances.
The apex court also ordered the state government to start a fresh selection process and complete it within three months. However, it gave exemption for disabled employees on human grounds and said that they will remain in jobs. The bench fixed the hearing on the petition of the West Bengal government challenging the High Court’s directive for the CBI inquiry on 4 April.
‘Can’t accept Supreme Court order’: CM Mamata Banerjee
Following the order of the Supreme Court, which rejected the appointment of 26,000 teachers and other employees in the state -run and state -aided schools, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally refused to accept the Supreme Court’s decision. The apex court ruled that the selection process of these candidates was “contaminated and tainted”.
He told the media, “As a citizen of this country, I have every right, and I cannot accept this decision with proper respect for the judges. I am expressing my opinion from a human point of view. Do not give wrong information or do not create confusion.” However, the Chief Minister said that the Bengal government accepts the decision and has already asked the School Services Commission to repeat the recruitment process.
About school job scam in Bengal
For months, hundreds of teachers, who had passed the 2016 recruitment examination conducted by West Bengal School Services Commission (WBSSC), were staging a sit -in in Kolkata and requested to consider and validate their cases when the judiciary gave a decision.
Former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in primary schools sponsored by the Government of West Bengal. He and his alleged colleague Arpita Mukherjee were detained by the ED as part of an investigation into the transaction of money associated with illegal recruitments. In December 2024, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in the money laundering case related to the cash-for-Job scam.
