The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) stated that out of the 24,000 individuals whose jobs were terminated by the Calcutta High Court following its recent ruling on the teachers' recruitment scam, around 19,000 are likely to be eligible for their positions.
Following the High Court's decision on April 22 to nullify the entire 2016 recruitment panel due to the teacher recruitment scam, resulting in the dismissal of approximately 24,000 appointments, the WBSSC submitted a list of 5,300 appointees suspected of irregularities to the court. However, the commission believes that the remaining 19,000 individuals may have met the necessary qualification criteria.
According to WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar, the lists provided to the court were based on two specific irregularities in recruitment, namely Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet manipulation and rank jumps. The commission has filed three affidavits before the Calcutta High Court since December 2023, providing the names and roll numbers of suspected staff and sharing the lists with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Majumdar emphasized that not all candidates recruited may be equally inefficient, and the CBI is free to conduct its own analysis. The High Court's judgment listed 17 types of irregularities in the recruitment process, leading to the revocation of the entire 2016 panel due to difficulties in separating legitimate candidates from those hired fraudulently.
The High Court also mandated that illegally recruited individuals returned their salaries within four weeks and ordered the re-evaluation of 23 lahks OMR sheets. The Bengal government has appealed to the Supreme Court, alleging that the High Court's decision was abrupt and did not allow adequate time for the government to address the implications on the education system or make necessary arrangements.
