In a major blow to the Trinamool government in West Bengal, the Kolkata High Court has issued instructions to fire over 25,000 teachers in government-aided schools. The controversy surrounding the recruitment process for teachers and staff in these schools has been ongoing since 2016, with allegations of massive fraud. The matter has gone back and forth between the High Court and the Supreme Court, but now the Kolkata High Court has ruled that the teachers must be fired and the salary they have received so far must be returned with interest within four weeks.
The recruitment process for teachers and staff in government-aided schools in Bengal began in 2016 under the Trinamool government. However, the Kolkata High Court has deemed the recruitment process to be illegal. It was discovered that some teachers were given appointments despite not filling out the required OMR sheets. As a result, the High Court has ordered the teachers to return their entire salary with 12% interest within four weeks. The responsibility of collecting the salary from the teachers has been placed on the District Magistrate.
This scandal dates back to 2014 when the West Bengal government announced a recruitment drive for teachers. Over 23 lakh candidates applied for the 2,464 vacancies. However, 2,575 appointment letters were sent out, exceeding the number of vacancies. The recruitment was for various classes and also included Group C and Group D staff. In 2016, another notification was issued for the recruitment of 13,000 Group D employees. Despite the appointment panel’s expiration in 2019, 25 people were still given appointments.
The Kolkata High Court had previously canceled the appointments of 36,000 untrained primary teachers. The government appealed to the Supreme Court, which directed the Chief Justice of the Kolkata High Court to form a division bench to hear the case. The division bench granted a stay on the cancellation of appointments for six months. The CBI also conducted an investigation into the matter, leading to the arrest of Partha Chatterjee, the Ex Education Minister of West Bengal
Today, the Kolkata High Court has finally canceled the appointments of around 25,000 to 26,000 teachers. It remains to be seen whether the state government will challenge this decision in the Supreme Court. The BJP has criticized the Trinamool government and called for the punishment of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. The ongoing elections in West Bengal will likely be impacted by this scandal.
It is unfortunate that some teachers who were recruited legitimately may also lose their jobs as a result of this scandal. The repercussions of this decision will have a significant impact on the education system in West Bengal. Several Trinamool leaders, including Chatterjee and former officials, are currently incarcerated in connection with the teacher recruitment case.
West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has expressed her disagreement with the court’s decision and has pledged to appeal against it. She believes the verdict is illegal and has stated that the government will stand for those who lost their jobs. Banerjee has also questioned the feasibility of returning eight years’ worth of salary within four weeks. The state government plans to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.
Judge Abhijit Ganguly, who had initiated a CBI probe into the case, resigned following altercations with the ruling TMC party. He is currently contesting as a BJP candidate in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The state BJP president, Sukanta Majumdar, has criticized the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government over the recruitment scam. He claims that the TMC government recruited teachers in exchange for money, turning them into commodities that were sold in the market. They believe that Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, who holds a significant position in the party hierarchy, are likely to face defeat in the upcoming elections.
The timing of the Calcutta High Court’s decision is significant as it coincides with the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. West Bengal is one of only three states that will be voting in all seven phases of the 2024 General election. Time will show, whether the cancellation of the recruitment panel has any political implications but most people believe that the same may have a significant impact on the polls in West Bengal.