SC Issues Notices on Bengal Teachers’ Recruitment Rules

MP | 27 Aug 2025 | Kolkata : The Supreme Court has reportedly issued notices to the West Bengal government, the West Bengal School Service Commission, and other concerned authorities following a petition by a group of “untainted teachers” challenging the state’s recruitment rules as “whimsical, arbitrary, and illegal.”

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Aravind Kumar directed the authorities to respond and tentatively scheduled the next hearing for September 9.

The petition contests the Calcutta High Court’s July 16 order, which had declined to entertain objections to the 2025 recruitment rules. The petitioners alleged that the revised regulations have significantly altered the evaluation criteria compared to the 2016 recruitment process.

“Academic marks of the written test, interview, and professional test have… totally changed,” the petition reportedly noted.

The petition also raised concerns over OBC reservations, pointing out that the validity of certain OBC certificates remains under challenge. It highlighted that the rules fail to clarify whether such candidates remain eligible.

Additionally, it contended that the recruitment notification does not specify category-wise vacancies, leaving the number of posts per subject or reservation category unclear — unlike the 2016 process, when vacancies were explicitly declared according to the reservation roster.

The petition further argued that the new rules do not bar individuals found to be “specifically tainted in the 2016 process.” It also emphasised that the recruitment rules were notified while the Supreme Court was still considering the untainted teachers’ review plea.

The case now awaits responses from the state and related authorities ahead of the next hearing in early September.