Legal Tangles Surround Recruitment Process Amid SSC Tainted Candidates Controversy

Agencies, Kolkata, September 5, 2025: Amid ongoing legal complexities over the list of tainted candidates involved in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scandal, the commission has published a list of approximately 35,726 vacant teaching positions for which examinations are scheduled on September 7 and 14, 2025. This announcement comes after a protracted legal battle regarding the authenticity of the list of "tainted" candidates, who are suspected of paying bribes to secure school jobs in the state.

The new vacancies are for teaching posts in government and government-aided schools across West Bengal. According to the WBSSC notification, the largest number of vacancies are in classes IX-X, where about 23,212 teaching positions are up for grabs. For Classes XI and XII, a total of 12,514 vacancies have been announced. The notification further detailed that the subject with the fewest vacancies in classes IX-X is geography, while the subject of physical science has the highest recruitment needs.

The list published today was prepared in accordance with the 17 percent Other Backward Class (OBC) quota, as mandated by a ruling from the Calcutta High Court. However, this move comes after the commission had faced legal challenges regarding its adherence to the court’s guidelines. Initially, the list had run into trouble after the High Court stayed its publication, alleging non-compliance with the court’s order on the OBC reservation criteria.

Despite earlier delays, the commission went ahead and published the list after adjustments were made. But doubts persist about the legitimacy of the list, particularly concerning its handling of candidates accused of corruption. Legal experts and investigative bodies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), have raised concerns that the list may have been deliberately truncated to conceal more names of those allegedly involved in the cash-for-jobs scandal.

In an ongoing investigation into the multi-crore recruitment scam, the ED has been probing the involvement of several high-profile figures, including former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee. Chatterjee, along with other officials, is accused of facilitating illegal recruitments in exchange for money. Sources close to the investigation suggest that the list released by the WBSSC may not fully reflect all the individuals who paid bribes for jobs.

Legal experts, including former judges and senior advocates, have speculated that the actual number of "tainted" candidates could be as high as 6,000, while the WBSSC's list identifies only 1,806 such candidates. They argue that this discrepancy is likely a deliberate attempt to downplay the scale of the scandal and protect certain individuals. Both Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former Calcutta High Court judge, and Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, a senior advocate, have voiced concerns that the list may have been intentionally minimized to conceal the full extent of the corruption.

The ED, as part of its investigation into the WBSSC recruitment scandal, is considering a new strategy to determine whether the list has been deliberately altered. One of the methods under consideration involves cross-checking the names on the list of "tainted" candidates with financial records that show candidates who paid bribes for school jobs. If discrepancies are found, it would confirm suspicions that the list was tampered with.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the recruitment exams for fresh teacher appointments in state-run schools is set to take place on September 7 and 14, 2025. This examination is being conducted to fill the positions left vacant after the termination of 25,753 teachers, following a Supreme Court order earlier this year. Despite the legal challenges and controversies surrounding the recruitment process, the exams are expected to go ahead as planned.

However, concerns remain about the possibility of "tainted" candidates slipping through the cracks. While the WBSSC’s published list ensures that the 1,806 identified candidates will not be allowed to appear for the exam, the issue arises if any of the candidates appearing for the exam are later found to be involved in the scandal. This could lead to further legal challenges, potentially causing delays in the recruitment process.

The Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court have both taken strong positions against allowing "tainted" candidates to participate in the recruitment process. Recently, a group of such candidates, whose names appeared on the WBSSC’s published list, petitioned the Calcutta High Court for permission to sit for the exams. However, their requests were rejected by both a single-judge bench and a division bench of the court, which upheld the commission’s decision to bar them from the recruitment process.

The situation surrounding the WBSSC recruitment continues to develop, with legal experts, investigative agencies, and government officials closely monitoring the situation. The publication of the vacancy list and the upcoming examinations are crucial steps in the recruitment process, but they are also part of a broader effort to address the ongoing issues of corruption and legal challenges that have marred the state’s education system.

As the examination dates approach, all eyes will be on the recruitment process to see if it can proceed without further complications, or if new legal hurdles will arise. The outcome of this case could have long-lasting implications for the future of recruitment in West Bengal’s educational institutions and the integrity of the selection process.