Teachers' scam: Now Calcutta HC judge will play role of investigator

Now a Calcutta High Court judge will play the role of an investigator in the multi-crore teachers' recruitment irregularities scam in West Bengal.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, whose verdict last year prompted central agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe, will directly question the panel of interviewers in the recruitment of teachers by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

His decision on the count has been taken following the complaints by many candidates that the interview process, especially as regards to aptitude test which carries separate marks, was a farce. They alleged that there was no practical test which is an essential part of the aptitude test and many alleged they were relieved of the interview process by the interviews by just asking their and their parents' names.

In the first phase, Justice Gangopadhyay will interrogate 40 such interviewers in four districts, where such complaints had been maximum. Calcutta High Court sources said that the interrogation process by Justice Gangopadhyay will be very soon and probably during the current month.

The interrogation will be closed-door and the entire proceedings on this count will be in-camera, where none other than the judge, the interviewers and their counsel will be allowed to stay.

Senior High Court counsel Kaushik Gupta said that this is something really unprecedented where a high court judge is playing the role of an investigator. "I have been practicing in the same court for 26 years. I have never heard of such an incident," he said.