Calcutta HC orders termination of service of 36,000 primary teachers

ANI, Kolkata, May 12 , 2023 : In a major development in the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment ‘scam’ case, a single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay at Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the cancellation of recruitment of 36,000 primary school teachers.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay said the recruitment board will announce new appointees to the vacant posts.

“The board will make new appointments to fill the vacant posts. This process of recruitment should be completed within three months,” Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay ruled.

The bench further ordered that the entire recruitment process is to be videographed.

Earlier, on April 29, the Supreme Court issued an order to reassign one of the cases pertaining to the teachers’ recruitment scam to another judge. The decision came in light of a television interview during which Justice Ganguly allegedly shared details of the case in question.

Justice Ganguly, who had been hearing all cases related to the alleged teachers’ recruitment scam, said in light of the judgment that he will continue to raise his voice against “corruption”.

Several heavyweights of the ruling Trinamool Congress, including former Education minister Partha Chatterjee, are currently behind bars for alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teachers for government schools in the state.

Hundreds of aspiring teachers have been holding a sit-in in the heart of Kolkata for several months, claiming that they were not drafted into service despite clearing the teachers’ recruitment exam. They alleged further that several undeserving candidates bagged teaching jobs despite faring poorly in the exam, in exchange for kickbacks.

Taking cognisance of an interview that Justice Ganguly gave to a vernacular news channel, in which he allegedly shared details of the proceedings in one of the ongoing cases pertaining to the teachers’ recruitment ‘scam’, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued the order to reassign the case to a separate judge.

Responding to the apex court order, Justice Gangopadhyay said, “This is not my decision. The case was shifted from my bench on the orders of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest office of justice in the country and we all need to abide by its orders.”

On whether the order has come as a blow for the protesting teaching aspirants, who are on the streets demanding jobs, Justice Gangopadhyay said, “Even if some are disheartened or disappointed by the order, there’s not much that can be done as we all have to respect the Supreme Court’s direction.”

“As long as I am in the service of justice, I’ll continue to raise my voice against irregularities and corruption,” Justice Gangopadhyay told reporters here.