Calcutta High Court Maintains Interim Protection upto 31 August in GTA Volunteer Teachers’ Regularisation Case

KalimNews, 16 May 2026,, Kolkata : On May 13, 2026, the Calcutta High Court, sitting at its Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench, passed significant procedural and interim orders in a batch of connected intra-court appeals concerning service disputes, school appointments, and administrative actions involving the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and other authorities. The matters were heard in Court No. 7 and included MAT 106 of 2025, MAT 110 of 2025, MAT 113 of 2025, MAT 39 of 2026, and MAT 5 of 2026.

The litigation arises in the backdrop of earlier judicial developments relating to the regularisation of 313 volunteer teachers under the GTA. On December 17, 2025, a Single Bench of the High Court at the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench, presided over by Justice Biswajit Basu, had set aside and quashed a government notification dated March 8, 2019, by which the services of 313 volunteer teachers were regularised for appointment to permanent posts in different schools. The Court, in that order, held that the regularisation process was not in accordance with law and therefore could not be sustained.

Following the Single Bench ruling, an appeal was preferred, and on December 24, 2025, a Division Bench comprising Justices Biswaroop Chowdhury and Tapabrata Chakraborty granted an interim stay on the operation of the order dated December 17, 2025. This stay effectively suspended the quashing of the regularisation process, allowing the matter to remain sub judice pending further adjudication.

The interim protection granted on December 24, 2025, continued to be extended in subsequent proceedings. On May 13, 2026, the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench further extended the interim order’s operation up to August 31, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier, thereby maintaining the existing legal status quo in relation to the appointments.

Alongside the issue concerning teacher regularisation, the Court also dealt with multiple procedural concerns in the connected MAT appeals involving parties such as Sayal Mukhia and others, Sugan Biswakarma and others, John Rai and others, and Jashimuddin Mondal and others, along with the GTA, the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBCSSC), the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

During the hearing of MAT 106 of 2025 and MAT 113 of 2025, a dispute arose regarding service of affidavits-in-opposition, with appellants claiming non-receipt while respondents asserted that service had already been effected, including through electronic means. Without entering into the dispute, the Court directed that copies of the affidavits be re-served upon all concerned parties, including the appellants’ counsel and relevant authorities, by May 20, 2026.

The Court further granted time extensions allowing the GTA, WBCSSC, WBBSE, and CBI to respond to the stay applications and affidavits by June 26, 2026, while permitting private respondents to file replies to other affidavits by July 17, 2026. It was also clarified that all deadlines are peremptory in nature, meaning that failure to comply may result in the matters being heard without the concerned affidavits.

In MAT 110 of 2025, it was recorded that the GTA had acknowledged receipt of an affidavit-in-opposition through electronic mail, although such service was disputed by other parties. As a precaution, the Court reiterated its direction for proper service on all concerned authorities.

In a separate procedural direction concerning MAT 39 of 2026 and MAT 5 of 2026, the Court noted that both appeals arise from the same judgment. The appellants were directed to serve complete sets of appeal papers on all respondents by May 20, 2026, and respondents were granted liberty to raise all permissible objections, including challenges to the maintainability and merits of the appeals. These matters are scheduled to be listed before the next available Circuit Bench after July 17, 2026, subject to administrative convenience.

The proceedings reflect continuing judicial supervision over both the legality of the 313 volunteer teachers’ regularisation and the broader cluster of service-related disputes, with the Court maintaining interim stability while ensuring strict timelines for completion of pleadings and procedural compliance.