The Mamata Government in West Bengal has received respite in the teacher recruitment scandal case. The Supreme Court has stayed the Calcutta High Court's ruling to cancel the recruitment of Bengal teachers, asserting that cancelling appointments entirely would be imprudent. Distinctive measures must be taken to segregate valid and invalid recruitments. The precise methodology can be determined by the West Bengal Government.
Moreover, the Supreme Court stated that the CBI would continue its investigation of candidates appointed without proper shortlisting. The probing into government officials involved in the recruitment shall also persist, with no punitive actions anticipated against candidates or officials.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court admonished the Mamata Government and, while deliberating on Tuesday, commented on the deliberate fraud that risks losing public faith. In fact, the Supreme Court is reviewing a plea by the West Bengal Government challenging the High Court's decision to annul the appointment of 24,000 teachers.
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud's bench labelled the recruitment procedure as calculated fraud, highlighting the duty of officials to maintain digital records for the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff. Public jobs are not only scarce but if the public trust is compromised, what would remain of the system? The bench questioned how this could be tolerated, regardless of the sensitivity or political complexity of the issue, as being lawyers, we are not to benefit from casting aspersions on High Court judges.
What is the Teacher Recruitment Scam?
The controversy centers on the recruitment of teachers through the SSC, with notifications issued in 2014 when Partha Chatterjee was the Education Minister. The recruitment process began in 2016, with several applicants alleging irregularities and filing petitions at the High Court.
After five years of hearings, the High Court handed over the investigation to the CBI in May 2022. Later, the ED also investigated from a money laundering perspective. Evidence led to the arrest of Partha Chatterjee and his associate Arpita Mukherjee by the ED.
Complainants alleged that candidates with lower marks were given higher positions on the merit list. There were grievances stating that some candidates received jobs despite not being on the merit list, and others were appointed even without passing the TET examination, which is mandatory for teacher recruitment in the state.
Last month, the Calcutta High Court declared the teacher recruitment invalid, affecting nearly 26,000 teachers in Bengal, who risk losing their jobs. Moreover, the High Court directed the West Bengal School Service Commission to commence a new recruitment process afresh.
