Kolkata (West Bengal): The Calcutta High Court on Monday declared as null and void the recruitment process of State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools, a verdict that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dubbed as "illegal".
A division bench comprising Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi ordered the cancellation of all appointments made through it. Nearly 24,000 jobs have been dismissed by the court in this process. The High Court also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to undertake further investigation in respect of the appointment process and submit a report in three months.
The bench directed the West Bengal School Service Commission to initiate a fresh appointment process. Over 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the SLST-2016 for 24,640 vacant posts. A total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued against the vacancies, said Firdaus Shamim, a lawyer for some of the petitioners.
The division bench also rejected a prayer by some appellants for a stay on the order. Moments after the High Court order, hundreds of school job aspirants waiting outside its premises rejoiced, as many broke into tears.
"We had been waiting for this day. After years of struggle on the streets, justice has finally been delivered," one of them said. The division bench, formed by the Chief Justice of the High Court on a direction of the Supreme Court, had extensively heard numerous petitions and appeals relating to the selection of candidates for appointment by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 and group-C and D staffers through the SLST-2016.
Hearing in the matters concluded on March 20 and the judgment was reserved by the bench. On writ petitions by some candidates who appeared in SLST-2016, but did not get jobs, a single bench presided by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had ordered CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.
The High Court had also ordered the termination of a number of jobs of teaching and non-teaching staffers after finding irregularities. Disposing of petitions before it in connection with the matters, the Supreme Court had on November 9, 2023, requested the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to constitute a division bench to hear all the petitions and appeals pertaining to the recruitment process through SLST-2016 for early adjudication.
The apex court had in its order accorded protection to the appointments, which were terminated by the High Court, for a period of six months to enable the division bench to adjudicate on the disputes.
The CBI had completed the investigation into the matters and submitted a report before the High Court in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Court to do so within two months from the date of its order. The central probe agency has arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and some functionaries, who held positions in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) when the alleged scam took place.
Mamata Banerjee dubs the order as illegal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday termed as illegal the Calcutta High Court order cancelling all appointments made through a 2016 teacher recruitment test and said her government will challenge the verdict.
Banerjee, while addressing an election rally at Raiganj in North Bengal, also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of influencing a section of the judiciary and judgments.
"The court verdict cancelling all recruitments is illegal. We stand by those who lost jobs. We will ensure you get justice, and challenge the order in a higher court," she said.
Ex-judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay reacts
Soon after the verdict, former judge of Calcutta High Court Abhijit Gangopadhyay said on Monday that his original order for cancellation of the teaching and non-teaching staff recruited in 2016 has been justified by the Calcutta High Court's verdict.
"I had been part of the judiciary for quite some time. The genuine candidates have been deprived by the ruling party. The deprived candidates come from all religious backgrounds. So it is the duty of all to get united and boycott the ruling party of the state. I will pray to God for the genuine candidates to get appointed now,” said Gangoapdhyay, who is contesting as a BJP candidate after resigning as the Calcutta High Court judge earlier this year.
Sukanta Majumdar hails verdict
The BJP state president in West Bengal, Sukanta Majumdar said the verdict proves how the state government and ruling Trinamool Congress have vitiated the academic sphere by selling teaching jobs.
"Only Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is responsible for this. She should immediately take responsibility for the entire fiasco and resign immediately,” Majumdar said.
Kunal Ghosh dubs verdict as 'highly unfortunate'
Trinamool Congress (TMC) state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh said that Monday's verdict by the division bench was “highly unfortunate”. "If some have got jobs by adopting unfair means, appropriate legal steps should be initiated against them. But the cancellation of the entire panel was highly unfortunate. What is the fault of those who secured their job by their merit? I cannot comment on the legal merits of the verdict. I am also not able to comment on the possible legal options further. It is up to the legal brains to decide whether this order will be challenged in the Supreme Court of India or not," Ghosh said.
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