Bengal Job Scam: 'Punished Unfairly', 'Grave Injustice', Say Teachers As SC Verdict Invalidates 26,000 Govt Jobs

The Supreme Court's verdict on West Bengal government job scam on Thursday invalidated 26,000 jobs as per PTI. Terming the selection process "vitiated and tainted", a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling all the appointments.

The apex court's verdict of mass termination has sparked a major outrage among those who claim they were recruited on merit. Visuals have surfaced on social media where the appointed teachers and others staff were seen breaking down in tears as the court ruling have pushed them to the brink of uncertainty.

'Punished Unfairly', Say Frustrated Teachers

According to a report by India Today, Rajat Haldar, a teacher appointed by the West Bengal SSC in 2016, expressed deep frustration over the fact that the innocent and credible teachers are bearing the brunt of the government라이브 바카라 corruption.

"There is no allegation against us and the 19,000 candidates like me. But still, the Supreme Court has declared us unqualified teachers," Haldar said while arguing that the top court's judgment was unfair to "untainted" teachers.

"We are qualified teachers because the investigation agencies have not found any allegation against me. We are fully untainted teachers. The Supreme Court has done a grave injustice against an untainted candidate like me," he added.

Speaking to NDTV, Pratap Roychowdhury, a teacher who taught in a school in South 24 Parganas near Kolkata, said, "If a man loses his job, you can imagine how it impacts his family. There are home loans, EMIs and many people are dependent on him. Everything will be finished."

Another sacked teacher, Shahni Nazneen, told India Today that the the judgment was "unacceptable" while demanding a proof of wrongdoing.

"CBI submitted a list of tainted and untainted candidates in court. Why are we untainted teachers being punished by taking our jobs away?" she asked.

SC Invalidates 26,000 Govt Jobs

The Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal, terming their selection process "vitiated and tainted".

Pronouncing the verdict, the CJI said the employees, whose appointments have been annulled, are not needed to return their salaries and other emoluments.

The top court also ordered the state government to initiate a fresh selection process and complete it within three months.

It, however, made relaxation for the disabled employees on humanitarian grounds, saying they would remain in the job.

The bench fixed the West Bengal government's plea challenging the high court direction for a CBI probe for hearing on April 4.

'Cannot Accept SC Order': CM Mamata Banerjee

Following the Supreme Court's order invalidating the appointment of 26,000 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to accept the Supreme Court judgment personally. The top court ruled the selection process of these candidates were "vitiated and tainted".

"As a citizen of this country, I have every right, and I cannot accept this judgment, with due respect to the judges. I am expressing my opinion from a humanitarian perspective. Don't misinform or create confusion," she told the media this afternoon.

However, the chief minister said that the Bengal government accepts the ruling and has already asked the School Service Commission to repeat the recruitment process.

About The School Job Scam In Bengal

For months, hundreds of teachers, who had qualified the 2016 recruitment examinations conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), had been staging a sit-in in Kolkata requesting that the merits of their cases be considered and validated by the judiciary while giving the judgement.

Former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided primary schools. He and his alleged associate, Arpita Mukherjee, were detained by the ED as part of its investigation into the money trail linked to the illegal recruitments.

In December 2024, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-job scam.