The Calcutta High Court has ruled that candidates identified as "tainted" in the 2016 West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment process are barred from participating in the fresh recruitment for over 35,000 school staff positions in 2025. Justice Saugata Bhattacharya issued the order on Monday, directing the WBSSC to reject applications from any such candidates. This decision comes amidst the fallout from a large-scale corruption scandal that led to the cancellation of thousands of teaching and non-teaching jobs.
The court's order follows multiple petitions challenging the WBSSC's recruitment guidelines, with petitioners arguing that allowing "tainted" candidates to reapply violates the Supreme Court's directives. The Supreme Court had previously scrapped the entire 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST) recruitment panel, annulling 25,753 appointments of teachers for classes IX-XII, as well as Group C and Group D staff, deeming the entire process "vitiated" due to widespread manipulation and fraud.
The core issue revolves around the interpretation of the Supreme Court's order. While the order cancelled the appointments of those found to be tainted, it did not explicitly bar them from reapplying in the fresh recruitment process. The WBSSC, represented by senior advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, argued that the Supreme Court never specifically prevented identified tainted candidates from applying for the new selection process and that barring them would amount to "double punishment". Bandyopadhyay also argued that the Supreme Court did not rule against considering experience when making its direction to scrap the previous panel and order a new one. He questioned the fairness of barring disqualified candidates while not barring unsuccessful candidates from 2016.
However, Justice Bhattacharya rejected this argument, asserting that the Supreme Court's strong remarks about corruption in the previous process and its order for salary recovery indicated that these individuals should not be given another chance. He emphasized that those who secured jobs through unfair means should not benefit from the 10% marks allocated for teaching experience in the new recruitment process. The Court also made it clear that it would not interfere in the allotment of marks because it's a policy decision.
Senior advocate Bikashranjan Bhattacharya, representing the petitioners, argued that the Supreme Court's judgment explicitly barred tainted candidates from participating in the fresh selection. He referred to a paragraph in the Supreme Court's judgment that stated that candidates "not specifically tainted" would be eligible to participate, implying that those who were tainted would not be.
The Calcutta High Court's decision underscores the commitment to ensuring transparency and fairness in the teacher recruitment process. The court reiterated that the fresh selection process must be completed by December 31, 2025, as directed by the Supreme Court. The WBSSC had issued fresh recruitment notifications starting May 30, with the application deadline set for July 15. According to the state education department, over 3.5 lakh applications have already been received for teaching posts alone.
While the WBSSC's lawyer, Bishwarup Bhattacharya, stated that implementing the order would be difficult and that they are considering appealing to a higher court, the High Court has dismissed their plea. The Calcutta High Court's firm stance against corruption sends a strong message and aims to restore faith in the integrity of the education system.
