On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to cancel the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff hired by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016. This was due to their involvement in a scam where school jobs were allegedly given in exchange for money.

The Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar's bench raised serious concerns about the selection procedure, stating that the appointments were the consequence of dishonest activities and so amounted to cheating. "We find no reason to interfere with the decision of the High Court that the services of tainted candidates and their appointment be terminated. Since their appointment was by fraud, this amounts to cheating," the bench said. Additionally, the Supreme Court ruled that candidates who have already been appointed do not need to return the salaries they have received so far. The well-known school jobs-for-cash scam involves claims of illegal hiring in West Bengal’s primary and secondary schools during the 2016 recruitment process. 

The High Court cancelled the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in government and government-aided schools due to serious issues like tampering with OMR sheets and manipulation of ranks. Later, on May 7 last year, the Supreme Court put a temporary hold on the High Court's decision regarding these appointments. However, it allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to continue its investigation into the matter. In the 2016 West Bengal SSC recruitment process, 23 lakh candidates competed for 24,640 posts. However, 25,753 appointment letters were issued, exceeding the available vacancies.

The High Court ruled that candidates who were appointed beyond the official vacancies, after the recruitment period had ended, or despite submitting blank OMR sheets, must return all salaries and benefits they received. Additionally, they must pay 12% interest on the amount. A total of 126 appeals, including one from the West Bengal government, have been submitted to the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's decision. Several well-known figures, such as former Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs Manik Bhattacharya and Jiban Krishna Saha, are currently in custody for their alleged role in the scam.

Meanwhile, the BJP has asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to step down after the Supreme Court’s decision. State BJP president and Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, shared this demand on social media platform X, blaming Banerjee for the recruitment scandal. “The sole responsibility for this massive corruption in teacher recruitment lies with the failed chief minister of the state. 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! Taking full responsibility for this huge corruption, I demand the immediate resignation of the failed Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. No more forgiveness,” Majumdar posted.