West Bengal schools recruitment scam: Mamata backs teachers whose services stand terminated after SC verdict

The West Bengal CM who held an emergency meeting at the State Secretariat said that she was ‘unable to accept the judgment from the humanitarian point of view while respecting the judges who delivered’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured support to about 24,000 teachers whose appointment was scrapped after the Supreme Court on Thursday (April 3, 2025) upheld a Calcutta High Court decision cancelling en bloc a “tainted” selection process of teachers and non teaching staff in State-run government and aided schools across the State.

The Chief Minister who held an emergency meeting at the State Secretariat said that she was “unable to accept the judgment from the humanitarian point of view while respecting the judges who delivered”.

The Trinamool Congress chairperson said that the teachers affected by the order should set up a “Deprived Teachers’ Association” and would listen to the grievances on April 7.

The Calcutta High Court on April 22, 2024, had ordered the invalidation of all 23,123 appointments of teaching and non teaching staffers, whether tainted or not, whose recruitment was made by West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar agreed with the High Court finding that the selection process was vitiated and riddled with manipulations and fraud.

‘CJI must take a humanitarian perspective’

“For a few guilty people, why is everyone punished? The earlier Chief Justice has stayed it (the Calcutta High Court order), so why does the sitting Chief Justice not look at it from a humanitarian perspective,” Ms. Banerjee said, adding that she respects the Chief Justice of India and was only questioning the verdict.

The Chief Minister said the State Education Department has informed the West Bengal School Service Commission about the “feelings” of the government that a fresh recruitment process for the 24,000 teachers should be completed in three months as per instructions of the Court.

Also read | ‘Job-eater BJP’, says Mamata Banerjee after court scraps recruitment

“We accept the Supreme Court judgment and have informed the West Bengal School Service Commission about our feelings that a fresh recruitment should be completed within three months as suggested by the Court,” Ms. Banerjee added.

Soon after the Supreme Court order, teachers gathered at Shahid Minar grounds and many of them broke into tears. The Opposition parties also hit the streets blaming Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the crisis.

Teachers Depressed

The Chief Minister raised questions on what will happen to the schools if 24,000 teachers stop attending school. She claimed that the entire development was to “demolish State’s education system, to deprive boys and girls”.

“I have heard that many teachers are depressed. I want to tell them, do not lose hope.... Apply when the process starts and we too will ensure that everything happens as quickly as possible,” the Chief Minister added.

Accusing the BJP and CPI(M) leadership for the development, Ms. Banerjee said that if any untoward incident occurs, something which she does not want to, both the parties should take the blame.

The Trinamool Congress chairperson also expressed her anger at Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and former Calcutta High Court Judge and now Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay. She said that the first order by the Calcutta High Court cancelling the recruitment of 24,000 teachers was made by former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, now a BJP MP from Tamluk.

“The case was lodged by Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya (CPIM MP). He is such a great lawyer. I wonder why he has not been awarded the Nobel Prize. Was wondering if I should nominate him for the award,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said with a touch of sarcasm. The CPI(M) and the BJP MP said that the situation could have been avoided had the State government made decision of segregating those who got jobs using unfair means.

Ms. Banerjee also gave hints that the West Bengal government is considering legal options and may file review of the SC order.

The West Bengal school recruitment scam came to the fore with the arrest of former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in July 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Several officials of the State Education Department and School Service Commission were arrested for the involvement in the scam which involves jobs in state run schools for pecuniary benefits.

Published - April 03, 2025 04:34 pm IST