The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal has suffered a major setback from the Supreme Court in the Kolkata teacher recruitment scam. The Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to cancel the recruitment of 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal's government schools. This decision has created a significant crisis for the state government.
Teacher Recruitment Scam: The Mamata Banerjee government received a major blow from the Supreme Court in the teacher recruitment scam case. The Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to cancel the recruitment of 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in government schools. The court, in its b remarks, stated that there were serious irregularities in the teacher recruitment process. Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had canceled the entire 2016 job panel as the investigation revealed that candidates were charged ₹5 to ₹15 lakhs for recruitment.
Supreme Court's Strong Stance
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice K.V. Vishwanathan found significant irregularities in the recruitment process. The court clearly stated that the appointment process was not transparent and reeked of corruption. The court also stated that the employees currently working do not need to return their salaries, but their employment will be terminated following this order.
The Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's order canceling the entire 2016 recruitment panel. The High Court found that there was widespread fraud in the recruitment process and that bribes ranging from ₹5 to ₹15 lakhs were taken from candidates.
CBI Investigation to Continue
The Supreme Court also ordered the CBI to continue its investigation into the recruitment scam. The court stated that there was no clarity on which of the 2.3 million answer sheets were examined and which were not. Therefore, it also directed the re-evaluation of all answer sheets. The court allowed one differently-abled candidate to retain their job on humanitarian grounds. Instructions were also given to provide some concessions to other differently-abled candidates in the new recruitment process. The Supreme Court stated that the new recruitment process should be completed within three months.
However, the Supreme Court also clarified that the teachers and staff employed until now do not need to return their salaries. The High Court had earlier ordered that salaries be recovered from these employees along with interest, but the Supreme Court stayed this.
Political Activities Intensify
Following this decision, political activities in the state have intensified. Opposition parties have targeted the Mamata government, stating that this is a clear example of corruption. Meanwhile, the state government is considering other legal options to challenge this decision. The biggest challenge before the Mamata government now is to complete a transparent recruitment process within three months.
Furthermore, the court clearly stated that former candidates with clean records may be given concessions in the new process. The Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing on the state government's petition against the CBI investigation for April 4th.
