Calcutta High Court orders CBI probe in hiring of primary teachers : Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay asked central agency to file an FIR

 Calcutta High Court: File picture

TAPAS GHOSH, KINSUK BASU | TT  |  14.06.22  :  The high court on Monday ordered a CBI investigation into recruitment of teachers in government-aided primary schools by the state’s primary education board.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay asked the central agency to file an FIR to initiate an investigation into alleged illegal recruitment of teachers by the board based on the teachers’ eligibility test in 2014.

The judge asked 269 teachers, identified as appointed illegally, not to attend school and to refund the amount they had drawn as salary since their appointment.

The judge also directed the president and secretary of the board to appear before CBI officers at Nizam Palace by 5pm on Monday.

Earlier, the same judge had ordered a CBI probe into alleged illegal appointment of teachers and other staff for secondary schools.

Advocate Firdaus Shamim had moved the high court alleging anomalies in appointment of primary school teachers.

Shamim placed before the court a Facebook post containing a video in which former CBI director and Bengal minister Upendra Nath Biswas said a man whom he identified as Ranjan had been offering teaching jobs in primary schools against money. Justice Gangopadhyay asked the CBI to question Biswas and “Ranjan” and file a report.

The judge had also asked the board to furnish all documents on the appointment of teachers.

On Monday, after going through the papers, the judge found that 269 candidates were given 1 grace mark. After that the council published a second panel in 2017 containing their names and they were appointed as teachers.

The lawyer representing the council said there was an erroneous question in the TET and the extra mark was awarded to those who had attempted it. The judge was not satisfied with the explanation and set aside the 2017 panel.

Officials quizzed

Manik Bhattacharya and Ratna Chakraborty Bagchi, president and secretary of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, respectively, reached Nizam Palace before the deadline set by the court.

Sources said the two were taken to a room on the 14th floor, where they were questioned. They stepped out at 8.40pm, sources said.

Sources in the central agency said Bhattacharya was asked why a second list of candidates had to be published.

Bhattacharya and Chakraborty Bagchi were separately asked on what basis the second list of 269 candidates was drawn up.