Calcutta High Court cancels illegal recruitment of over 23,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in Bengal SSC scam
- In Reports
- 06:10 PM, Apr 22, 2024
- Myind Staff
The Calcutta High Court has nullified the entire 2016 recruitment panel for school teachers formed by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSCC) due to a jobs scam. The court has dismissed nearly 24,000 jobs implicated in the case.
During the hearing, a division bench led by Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi decreed that school teachers recruited unlawfully (using blank OMR sheets) must reimburse their salaries within four weeks. The district magistrate has been assigned the responsibility of collecting the funds from these teachers.
The nullified recruitment panel encompasses all appointments of teaching and non-teaching personnel, who were selected through a WBSC entrance examination in 2016, for various state-government-sponsored and aided schools in Bengal.
The bench also mandated the re-evaluation of a total of 23 lakh OMR sheets (test papers) from the recruitment entrance examination that was conducted. It dismissed a request by certain appellants for a stay on the ruling.
Furthermore, the bench instructed the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation into the appointment process and submit a report within three months. The WBSSC has been directed to commence a fresh appointment procedure.
Over 23 lakh candidates participated in the 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST) administered by the WBSSC for more than 24,000 vacant positions. Outside the courtroom, hundreds of job seekers, eagerly awaiting the verdict, celebrated upon its announcement.
The case hearing concluded on March 20, with the division bench reserving judgment. The CBI had been investigating the case following a prior court order. In 2022, the federal agency arrested former Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee over his alleged involvement in the scam.
The CBI investigation was initiated by former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Ganguly, who is currently contesting as a BJP candidate from Bengal's Tamluk constituency in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Image source: Indian Express
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