Bengal SSC scam: HC cancels recruitment of over 23k teachers, non-teaching staff in schools; verdict ‘illegal’ says Mamata
The division bench of Calcutta HC, led by Justice Debangsu Basak, also ordered fresh recruitment against the posts within 15 days. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh has termed the order "unfortunate".
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In 2021, the Calcutta High Court ordered the Justice Bag committee to review the recruitments in Group C and Group D categories. (File Photo)A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday cancelled the illegal recruitment of 23,753 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 vowed to appeal against it.
The bench led by Justice Debangsu Basak observed that the OMR sheets of Group C, Group D, Class IX and X were manipulated in 2016, making all the recruitments illegal. It added that the names of those who were recruited were included in the panel illegally. “We have no other way but to cancel the whole recruitment panel,” Justice Basak said.
Speaking at a rally in Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency, Mamata said, “Our government will stand for those who lost their jobs and we will appeal this order before a higher court.”
Reacting to the order, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh said, “The state government wanted to accommodate those who were not being recruited illegally. The government will explore legal options, but this order is unfortunate.”
West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, meanwhile, criticised the TMC over the scam. “It is now proved that the TMC government recruited teachers for money. They turned teachers into commodities and sold them in the market.”
In 2021, the Calcutta High Court ordered the Justice Bag committee to review the recruitments in Group C and Group D categories. After preliminary investigation, the committee determined that the OMR sheets were manipulated, following which the court ordered investigations by the CBI and ED.
In August 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee in the case. Several SSC officials, including TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya were also arrested.
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