SC to hear Bengal plea against Calcutta HC order axing 25,753 school jobs

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday, 29 April, the plea filed by the West Bengal government against the Calcutta High Court's order cancelling 25,753 appointments in teaching and non-teaching posts made by the WBSSC in 2016.

As per the details published on the website of the apex court, a bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud and justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will take up the matter for hearing on 29 April.

In an order passed last week, the Calcutta High Court nullified the appointment of all the 25,753 persons empanelled in 2016 for various categories of jobs at secondary and higher secondary schools in the state.

A division bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi of the high court ordered that the candidates selected from the expired panels will have to return the entire salary drawn by them, along with an annualised interest of 12 per cent, within the next four weeks.

Besides directing the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to start the recruitment process afresh, it also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry on with its investigation into the matter.

Taking cognisance of the state cabinet’s decision for the creation of super-numeric posts, the Calcutta High Court said that the CBI, if necessary, can question the masterminds behind the creation of the seats in excess of the vacant posts. These super-numeric posts, which have remained under the cloud since the beginning, are perceived to provide room for ineligible candidates recruited illegally.

In July 2023, the apex court had set aside the interim direction passed by the Calcutta High Court terminating services of 32,000 primary teachers and asking the West Bengal authorities to complete the recruitment process for the newly created vacancies within three months.

Asking the high court to decide the appeal pertaining to the school-jobs-for-cash scam at the earliest, the Supreme Court had stressed that the opportunity for a hearing has to be given to all concerned.