Moments after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s verdict to dismiss almost 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff across various schools run or aided by the West Bengal government, the state’s Opposition parties slammed the ruling TMC.
Meanwhile, reacting to the order, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “I believe this has been done by the CPI(M) and BJP… We have the highest regard for the judiciary, but… I cannot accept this judgment.” She added: “One Chief Justice of India (CJI) stayed (the High Court verdict) and another Chief Justice cancelled it. Now you can understand what I want to say.”
In April 2024, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelled the illegal recruitment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff by the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC), ordering them to return their salaries with interest. The court also ordered fresh recruitment against the posts within 15 days. Terming the verdict “illegal”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had vowed to appeal against it. On May 7 last year, the Supreme Court had stayed the High Court order but permitted the CBI to continue with its probe.
The Supreme Court upheld the order on Thursday. Moments later, Banerjee chaired a meeting with state Education Minister Bratya Basu and other officials of the education department, as well as Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and other top officials of the administration. It was discussed what steps the state could take. “We will appeal for review in the Supreme Court. On what point it will be appealed will be decided by our legal experts,” said Banerjee.
The CM claimed that her government would give support to those who lost their jobs — on April 7, her government will hold a meeting for teachers who lost their jobs. “I will go to hear them. I can only say don’t be impatient. We are with you and we will. We may be sent to jail for supporting you but don’t worry, I will welcome that,” she said in a press conference at Nabanna on Thursday.
“The BJP wants to target the education system of West Bengal,” Banerjee said at the conference.
Banerjee further criticises judgment
The Chief Minister questioned the “blanket dismissal” of all candidates, asserting that not all appointees were guilty of wrongdoing. “The ones whom you call tainted, we don’t have proof regarding them. Does the BJP government want to collapse the education system of Bengal? What happened in Vyapam? More than fifty people were killed,” she said, drawing a comparison to the recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh.
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She also said, “If money is recovered from in front of a house of a judge, he is only transferred but when it is about a teacher, then their jobs are cancelled.”
Referring to the Supreme Court’s directive, Banerjee noted that candidates who were not “tainted” could apply afresh. “We will accept the judgment and we will complete the process in three months. The SSC is an autonomous body, but we will ensure that it completes the reappointment process of teachers. Our feelings will be conveyed to the SSC by the Education minister,” she said.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Sukanta Majumder launched a scathing attack on the TMC-led government. Taking to X, Majumder said, “The sole responsibility for this massive corruption in teacher recruitment lies with the failed Chief Minister of the state, Mamata Banerjee.” He also demanded Banerjee’s resignation. “The Supreme Court’s verdict has made it clear how, under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, the merit of educated unemployed youth in West Bengal was sold in exchange for money!” he added.
CPI(M) slams state government
CPI(M)’s state committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, “The state government got one year’s time to segregate the list of genuine candidates from those who got job by giving money. But the state government failed to make that list and for that reason, those who are genuine also lost their jobs.”
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CPIM state secretary Md Selim said, “Mamata Banerjee and TMC imbibed this corruption from the RSS who first did this corruption in Madhya Pradesh which we knew as the Vyapam corruption. Our fight will continue to uproot the main culprit of the corruption, because before 2011 (when Banerjee came to power), there were school job recruitments but never a corruption allegation.”
Eminent advocate and CPIM leader Bikash Bhattacharya also said, “The Supreme Court said that those who are eligible candidates can sit in the examination within three months but the question is whether the government will take that examination transparently. We can’t trust this government.”
The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI enquiry in 2022 over the alleged 2016 teacher recruitment scam. During this inquiry, the CBI arrested former education minister Partha Chatterjee, former SSC officials Shantiprasad Sinha and Subiresh Bhattacharya, former TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya and many others in 2022.