Mamata Banerjee Faces Backlash as Supreme Court Nullifies 25,753 Teacher Appointments
Click to start listening
Synopsis
The Supreme Court's endorsement of the Calcutta High Court's decision to annul 25,753 teaching and non-teaching appointments by WBSSC has sparked significant political controversy in West Bengal, highlighting issues of corruption and meritocracy.
Key Takeaways
- Supreme Court supports annulment of appointments.
- 25,753 teaching and non-teaching roles affected.
- Corruption in recruitment process raised concerns.
- Calls for Chief Minister's resignation from opposition.
- Potential review petition suggested by Trinamool Congress.
Kolkata, April 3 (NationPress) A political storm has erupted in West Bengal following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold last year's ruling by the Calcutta High Court, which annulled all appointments in both teaching and non-teaching roles made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016.
On April 22, 2024, the division bench of the Calcutta High Court, led by Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi, cancelled a total of 25,753 appointments made by WBSSC, which encompassed secondary and higher secondary educators, as well as non-teaching personnel in Group-C and Group-D categories. The cancellations were based on the inability to distinguish between legitimate candidates and those who secured positions through monetary transactions.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court's division bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, endorsed the findings of the Calcutta High Court and upheld its ruling.
According to CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate at the Calcutta High Court, Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, who has been engaged in the legal proceedings from the start, stated that while it is regrettable that some “eligible” candidates will also be affected by the apex court's decision, there was no alternative but to annul the entire panel.
“The extent of institutional corruption throughout the selection process was so pervasive that it became impossible to differentiate between ‘genuine’ candidates and ‘ineligible’ candidates. The apex court consistently questioned WBSSC on whether such differentiation could be achieved; however, the commission failed to provide a satisfactory answer,” Bhattacharya remarked.
The BJP's state president in West Bengal and Union Minister of State, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, claimed that the “genuine” candidates will now bear the consequences of the Mamata Banerjee-led state government's ongoing efforts to shield those “ineligible” candidates who obtained jobs by paying money to the ruling Trinamool Congress leaders.
“The apex court's ruling clearly illustrates how, under Mamata Banerjee's governance, the merit of educated unemployed youth in West Bengal was traded for money. We demand the resignation of the Chief Minister, who must take full responsibility for this vast corruption,” Majumdar declared.
Trinamool Congress leader Biswajit Deb, currently serving as the advocate general of Mizoram, suggested that the state government should promptly file a review petition with the apex court.
“The fundamental principle of our legal system is that while 1,000 culprits may escape, not a single innocent should be punished. However, following this verdict, genuine candidates will have to face repercussions. Therefore, I believe that the state government should swiftly submit a review petition to the apex court,” Deb articulated.
Conversely, Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya indicated that submitting a review petition would lead to further delays in the process and a waste of public funds.
As of the time this report was published, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had not responded to the situation.
