West Bengal Recruitment Scandal: 'Authentic' Candidates to Seek Court Action Against 'Compromised' Peers
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Synopsis
In Kolkata, 'authentic' teaching staff affected by a Supreme Court ruling are moving to court for the termination of jobs held by 'compromised' individuals. Their ongoing protest demands transparency and accountability from the West Bengal government.
Key Takeaways
- Authentic candidates are protesting against job losses.
- They demand termination of 'compromised' staff.
- There is dissatisfaction with the WBSSC's data presentation.
- Chief Minister Banerjee questions the need for segregated lists.
- The Supreme Court upheld the annulment of a large hiring panel.
Kolkata, April 22 (NationPress) The authentic teaching and non-teaching personnel in West Bengal's state-run schools, affected by a recent Supreme Court ruling, are preparing to approach the court. They will demand the swift termination of the contracts of individuals deemed 'compromised' for allegedly securing employment through bribery.
In tandem, these authentic candidates, who have initiated an extensive sit-in protest outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office since Monday evening, will persist in their demonstration until the commission or the state government discloses a distinct list of 'authentic' and 'compromised' candidates.
This declaration came after a delegation met with WBSSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar on Tuesday evening. While the WBSSC provided data regarding the authentic candidates, the delegation expressed dissatisfaction, noting that the information lacked supporting documentation, such as mirror images of the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets from the recruitment examination.
One frustrated job seeker stated, 'We urge the commission and the State Education Department to explain why the mirror images are not publicly available. We also question why the employment of those already labeled as 'compromised' has not been terminated.'
The ongoing insistence from the job seekers for the release of the segregated list has drawn ire from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Earlier, she challenged their demand by asking, 'What purpose will the segregated lists of 'authentic' and 'compromised' candidates serve for you? Why are you getting ensnared in provocation? There is no need for these lists. Your primary concerns should be whether you have jobs and salaries. Leave the rest to us.'
This month, a division bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, upheld a prior ruling from the Calcutta High Court. The High Court, comprising Justices Debangsu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi, had annulled the WBSSC's entire panel for 2016, which encompassed 25,753 teaching and non-teaching roles.
The apex court concurred with the High Court's observation that the entire panel was invalidated due to the state government's and WBSSC's inability to differentiate between 'authentic' candidates and those who secured jobs through monetary means.
