Bengal Education Minister Defends Non-Publication of Segregated Staff List
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Synopsis
West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu defends the WBSSC's choice not to publish a segregated list of teaching and non-teaching staff, citing legal advice and Supreme Court directives amidst protests from genuine candidates.
Key Takeaways
- Education Minister Bratya Basu justifies non-publication of staff list.
- WBSSC's delayed release of segregated list attracts protests.
- Supreme Court's ruling led to cancellation of previous job panels.
- Minister urges job seekers to avoid actions jeopardizing legal proceedings.
- Government claims commitment to protect job seekers' interests.
Kolkata, April 22 (NationPress) West Bengal's Education Minister Bratya Basu defended the West Bengal School Service Commission's (WBSSC) choice not to release the segregated list distinguishing between “genuine” and “tainted” teaching and non-teaching personnel in state-run schools on Monday, citing the Supreme Court as a reason for the delay.
This postponement occurred despite earlier commitments made by both the commission and the minister to provide the list to the “genuine” candidates within this month.
“The job seekers requested a meeting with us. We previously informed them that we would await proper legal counsel before proceeding. Some of the job seekers' demands are legally viable. The Supreme Court did not instruct us to publish the list, and this has been confirmed by top legal experts,” Basu stated to reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
His comments were made as the legitimate candidates protested outside the WBSSC office in Salt Lake, on the northern fringes of Kolkata, starting Monday evening, following the commission's failure to deliver the promised “segregated” list.
Earlier this month, a Division Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, upheld a decision from the Calcutta High Court that annulled WBSSC's entire 2016 recruitment panel, which consisted of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching positions.
The apex court also endorsed the Calcutta High Court's view that the total panel cancellation was necessary due to the state government's and WBSSC's failure to differentiate between “genuine” candidates and those who acquired jobs through monetary means.
Subsequently, in a meeting with a group of “genuine” candidates, Minister Bratya Basu assured that the “segregated” list would be published based on legal advice by April 21.
While addressing the media, Basu pointed out that the West Bengal government has yet to terminate any employees or issue directives to freeze salaries.
“There are 17,2026 candidates who do not fall under the ‘tainted’ category. We are moving forward accordingly. I urge the protesting candidates not to take any actions that could jeopardize the review petition we filed with the Supreme Court,” he added.
He emphasized that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the state education department are committed to safeguarding the rights of job seekers.
“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stands with the job seekers. The state education department is consistently working to uphold their interests. The matter is currently before the apex court following our review petition,” Basu concluded.
