Bengal Board moves SC seeking 'modification' in order annulling over 25,000 school jobs

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) moved the Supreme Court on Monday seeking 'modification' in its order annulling over 25,000 jobs in schools last week, a high-level source in the education department said here.

In an appeal to the apex court, the Board’s lawyer requested that either "deserving" candidates be allowed to attend their duties till the end of this academic year, or till a fresh recruitment process as directed by the court is completed, whichever is earlier, the source told PTI.

WBBSE President Ramanuj Ganguly, however, said, "I have no information or comments to offer."

25,753 teaching, non-teaching staff lost their job

A large section of those whose appointments were cancelled used to work at the secondary level in schools . Altogether 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff of state-run and -aided schools lost their jobs after the Supreme Court found large-scale irregularities in the 2016 recruitment process and scrapped the entire panel on April 3.

Those who were rendered jobless claimed that the reason behind their plight was the inability of the School Service Commission (SSC), which appointed them, to differentiate between the candidates who secured employment through fraudulent means and those who did not. SSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar told PTI on Monday the Commission will move the apex court soon to seek certain clarifications about the order and work as guided by it.

Also read WBSSC to soon initiate fresh recruitment drive in vacant school posts

Education Minister Bratya Basu earlier said the Supreme Court was not satisfied with the submission of the SSC and it would seek guidance from the top court on this issue.

Describing the entire selection process of 2016 as “vitiated and tainted”, an apex court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments.