SSC scam: Mamata Banerjee says state will issue notification for fresh recruitment as per SC order

 The new recruitment initiative is not limited to filling the 24,203 posts vacated following the court’s order

Niladry Sarkar, The Week, May 27, 2025 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday that the state government will comply with the Supreme Court’s order and release a notification to initiate a new recruitment process for filling vacancies following the cancellations of the 2016 panel of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

The Supreme Court has instructed the state to start the fresh recruitment process by issuing an official notification by May 31. The court also set a deadline for completing the entire recruitment process by December 31 this year.

The “untainted” candidates who have had to lose their jobs have strongly opposed participating in the new recruitment drive. They continue to demand reinstatement without having to undergo another examination.

During a meeting with the principal secretary of the high school department of West Bengal, Vinod Kumar, on Monday, they questioned the state’s authority to issue a new notification while a review petition, challenging the SSC panel’s cancellation, remains pending before the Supreme Court.

“We are keeping everything prepared in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directive. If the court says that the exam need not be held, we will follow that. However, we are still required to issue a notification in compliance with the Court’s order,” CM Banerjee said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Reinstating that her government wouldn’t let anyone lose their jobs, she added, “We’ve been waiting, as we don’t want to jeopardise anyone’s job. Since the review hasn’t been heard yet and the court is currently on summer recess, our hands are tied.”

The state government will proceed with issuing the recruitment notification for now. However, if the SC delivers a favourable verdict in response to the review petition, the authorities will revise their course of action accordingly.

The new recruitment initiative is not limited to filling the 24,203 posts vacated following the court’s order. It also includes newly created positions, 11,517 additional teaching posts for classes 9 and 10 and 6,912 for classes 11 and 12. Furthermore, the state has introduced 571 new Group C and 1,000 new Group D non-teaching positions.

Commencement of online applications is from June 16, with the deadline set for July 14. The final selection panel will be published on November 15, and counselling is scheduled for November 20. 

CM Banerjee added that the extended timeline has been planned in case the court takes longer to decide on the review.

If the state’s review petition is not accepted, the government will complete the written exam, document scrutiny, challenge period, result publication, and interview process within the timeframe as directed by the Supreme Court.