HC Questions SSC’s Role in Defending ‘Tainted’ Candidates

MP | 10 July 2025 |  Kolkata : The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday questioned whether the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) can defend candidates who were labelled as “tainted” by the Supreme Court in connection with the multi-crore recruitment scam. A division bench comprising Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De raised the query during the hearing of an appeal against a single bench order that had barred such candidates from participating in the fresh recruitment process.

Such decision, the single bench had observed, was in line with the Supreme Court judgement. The court posed pointed questions to Senior Advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay, who appeared on behalf of the SSC. The court asked whether the state-run commission had the locus standi to agitate on behalf of individuals whose appointments were quashed by the apex court on grounds of irregularity and illegality, and who had also lost their jobs and salaries as a result.

The division bench directed the SSC to clarify whether it could legally advocate for such candidates and what rationale it had for doing so. During the hearing, Bandopadhyay argued that if those labelled as tainted had been disqualified from reapplying, then even candidates who had participated in the earlier selection process but had failed to secure jobs should also be barred from applying under the new recruitment drive.

He further submitted that the Supreme Court had not explicitly directed that tainted candidates be permanently debarred from future selection processes, including the fresh round of recruitment currently underway. However, the court expressed reservations about this line of argument. It questioned the logic of barring unsuccessful candidates—who had no allegations against them—from participating in the new recruitment, especially when the process was being conducted afresh to ensure transparency and merit-based selection.

The hearing will continue as the court awaits SSC’s formal clarification on its position regarding the scope of its authority to represent disqualified candidates.