In a major setback to the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court on Friday set aside the recruitment of about 36,000 primary teachers on the grounds that there were irregularities in their hiring process.
In his order, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay said that the teachers would continue to work in the government’s schools for the next four months, but would only draw their salaries as para-teachers, not full-time teachers. The court directed that the State government would have to start and complete the recruitment process within the next three months. Justice Gangopadhyay also added that those whose jobs stand cancelled can also participate in the new recruitment process if they have already received teachers training. The grounds on which the recruitment has been cancelled is that the candidates had not been trained and no aptitude test for recruitment had been held.
The court also said that the cost of recruitment may be paid by former chairperson of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya, who remains behind bars for his alleged involvement in the State’s school job scam.
‘No proper aptitude test’
About 42,500 candidates were recruited as teachers in primary schools of West Bengal during a recruitment process in 2016; according to the High Court, about 36,000 of these did not have the requisite qualifications and did not go through the proper aptitude test.
About 4,000 teachers and non-teaching staff who got jobs allegedly by illegal means have already lost their jobs over the last few months on the orders of the Calcutta High Court. Friday’s order to set aside the recruitment of 36,000 more teachers in State-run schools has created ripples in both political and social circles.
‘Legal options being explored’
Officials from the primary education board, as well as leaders of the ruling party, hinted that the government would challenge the order before higher courts. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that “we do not accept the order”.
Gautam Roy, chairperson of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education said that legal options were being explored, adding that the board would take the right decision at the right time. Mr. Roy noted that the question of carrying out fresh recruitment arises only if the board accepts the High Court’s order. The board chairperson insisted that the aptitude test was held as per guidelines.
The school job scam, which came to the fore after the arrest of former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in July 2022, has rocked the State. Three MLAs of the Trinamool Congress and about a dozen officials of the State Education Department as well as a number of agents are behind bars for their alleged involvement in the recruitment scam.
