The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Calcutta High Court to terminate the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools by the SSC in 2016 in West Bengal.
While pronouncing the verdict, a bench led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna said, “We find no valid ground or reason to interfere with the decision of the High Court that services of tainted candidates must be terminated”.
The top court invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff, terming their selection process “vitiated and tainted.” The decision comes as a major setback to the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in the state.
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 the appointments. Pronouncing the verdict, the CJI said the employees, whose appointments have been annulled, are not needed to return their salaries and other emoluments.
The SC 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’s direction for a CBI probe for a hearing on April 4. On February 10, the top court reserved its judgement on a batch of petitions in the matter.
