The Calcutta High Court has triggered a shockwave in the West Bengal government, led by Mamata Banerjee, by annulling the teacher recruitment drive. The court has voided the entire 2016 SSC recruitment panel, impacting nearly 24,000 teachers who now stand to lose their positions. Teachers have also been ordered to return their salaries within four weeks.
This recruitment process started in 2016 under the administration of then Education Minister Partha Chatterjee. Multiple grievances regarding misconduct in this affair were lodged with the Calcutta High Court.
What is the Bengal Teacher Recruitment Scandal?
In 2014, the West Bengal Staff Selection Commission issued a notification for the recruitment of teachers. Partha Chatterjee was the Education Minister at that time. The staffing process initiated in 2016 met with allegations of corruption lodged in the high court. Claims surfaced that jobs were given despite candidates scoring low, while many appointees had not even cleared the TET exam, a requirement for the role.
After about five years of judicial proceedings in May 2022, the High Court directed the CBI to take over the investigation. Complainants alleged bribes ranging from five to fifteen lakh rupees for recruitment. Consequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought money laundering angles in the scam. Subsequent evidence led to the arrest of Partha Chatterjee and his associate Arpita Mukherjee. Following this, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expelled Chatterjee from his role and the party.
Applicants protested that candidates with lesser scores were unjustly ranked higher in the merit list. Some grievances indicated that individuals were hired despite their names not appearing in the merit lists, and some were appointed without passing the TET exam, a state requirement for teacher recruitment.
The ED initiated an investigation in 2022. Raids conducted on 22nd July at 14 locations, including Chatterjee's premises, unearthed documents linked to Arpita Mukherjee's property. When questioned about his association with Arpita, Chatterjee failed to provide satisfying answers, thus turning the ED's attention towards Mukherjee.
Dramatic ED raids on Arpita's flat exposed close to 21 crore rupees in cash, 60 lakhs in foreign currency, 20 phones, and various documents. Mukherjee, a model with roles in Bengali and Odia films. Subsequent searches at Mukherjee's other properties revealed 27.9 crores in cash, 4.31 crores worth of gold, which included three kilogram gold bricks, and other jewelry.
Finally, the high court has urged the CBI to continue their rigorous investigation and take firm action against the accused. The court also directed the West Bengal School Service Commission to commence a fresh recruitment process.
