In a significant setback for the Mamata Banerjee administration in West Bengal, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed the Calcutta High Court's decision to annul the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching personnel associated with the West Bengal School Service Commission. The Supreme Court stated that the entire recruitment procedure had been tainted by "manipulation and fraud" leading to a loss of credibility and legitimacy. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, indicated that there was no justification to overturn the High Court's ruling. The court highlighted that the appointments stemmed from deceitful practices and are therefore considered fraudulent. It instructed the state government to initiate a new selection process within a three-month timeframe. Those successful in this new process will not be required to reimburse the salaries received since their initial appointment in 2016, whereas those who do not succeed must return their earnings. The court has also made allowances for individuals with disabilities, allowing them to retain their current positions. The Banerjee government had sought the Supreme Court's intervention against the High Court's verdict, requesting the separation of candidates based on their integrity.
The controversy revolves around the extra posts created by the state government. Over 2.3 million applicants participated in the 2016 state-level selection examination. Although there were 24,640 vacancies, issuance of appointment letters exceeded this number, totaling 25,753. This situation has led to allegations of unlawful recruitment associated with these surplus positions. The irregularities in the hiring of teachers have exposed serious issues for the Trinamool Congress government, with several high-ranking leaders, including a former education minister who was a close associate of Mamata Banerjee, now facing incarceration linked to this scandal. Senior BJP figure Amit Malviya described the Supreme Court's ruling as a "devastating defeat" for Mamata Banerjee. He remarked that "Mamata Banerjee's close aide, Partha Chatterjee, who served as the Education Minister and was apprehended with large sums of money, is already imprisoned for his involvement in the fraud. The Chief Minister, who oversaw this extensive deceit that damaged the prospects of countless youths, must also be held responsible and subjected to trial."
