Bengal SSC employment scam: HC declares 24,000 jobs invalid, ordering new recruitment

Recently, the Calcutta High Court invalidated the hiring of over 23,000 educators and staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016, deeming it unauthorized. The court has directed these individuals to repay their received wages with added interest. Moreover, the court has called for a new recruitment drive to be initiated promptly within a fortnight. The judicial panel, which included Justices Debangsu Basak and Mohd Shabbar Rashidi, has also requested the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a thorough examination of the reported irregularities in the 2016 hiring process.

Back in 2014, West Bengal initiated a process to recruit teachers for state-run schools, which commenced in 2016. However, the selection process came under scrutiny when some candidates approached the Calcutta High Court, alleging discrepancies. They contended that individuals with lower scores were unfairly placed higher on the merit list, and some who were not even listed were offered jobs.

Repayment Order

The court has ordered district officials to recover the salaries of individuals who were recruited based on manipulated answer sheets in 2016. The court has declared such recruitments void. However, an exception has been made for Soma Das, a cancer patient who will be allowed to keep her job on compassionate grounds. It is expected that the state administration will challenge this verdict in the Supreme Court.

In the wake of the court’s verdict, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee suggested possible influence by the Bharatiya Janata Party on the judiciary. Countering this, the West Bengal BJP criticized the Trinamool Congress, expressing relief over the annulment of the 2016 SSC.

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