WBSSC Claims Eligibility For 19,000 Dismissed Staff Amidst Teacher Recruitment Scandal

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) asserted on Thursday that approximately 19,000 individuals, comprising both teaching and non-teaching staff, who were dismissed from their positions following the recent ruling by the Calcutta High Court concerning the teacher recruitment scandal, are likely eligible for reinstatement.

The Calcutta High Court's verdict on Monday (April 22) annulled the entire 2016 recruitment panel established by the WBSSC in connection with the teacher recruitment controversy, resulting in the termination of around 24,000 jobs. However, the WBSSC has stated that it presented the High Court with a roster of 5,300 appointees whose appointments were under suspicion, and it believes that the remaining 19,000 may have fulfilled the necessary qualification criteria, as per news agency PTI.

"We provided the court with lists of candidates where irregularities in recruitment were detected. These lists were compiled based on two specific irregularities in recruitment, namely Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet manipulation and instances of rank elevation. The total count of such candidates for Groups C and D, as well as teachers for classes 9-10 and 11-12, was approximately 5,300," stated WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar during a press briefing.

He mentioned that the commission had submitted at least three affidavits before the Calcutta High Court since December 2023, containing the names and roll numbers of suspected staff. "These lists were also shared with the CBI," he added.

"The court presented four queries to us, and we addressed each one comprehensively. The CBI also acknowledged many of our submissions in court. We do not believe that such a large number of candidates were fraudulently recruited. While the agency has the freedom to conduct its own analysis and observations, it is improbable that all candidates were equally inefficient," Majundar remarked.

In its ruling, the High Court outlined 17 different irregularities employed in perpetrating the teachers' recruitment scandal. It also emphasized that the entire 2016 panel was invalidated due to the WBSSC and the Bengal government's failure to cooperate in disclosing the names of those unlawfully appointed, making it impossible to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate hires.

Furthermore, the court instructed unlawfully appointed individuals to return their salaries within four weeks and called for the re-evaluation of 23 lakh OMR sheets.

Following the High Court's ruling, the Bengal government has approached the Supreme Court, alleging that the bench abruptly annulled the entire recruitment panel without providing sufficient time to address the current education system's needs or make necessary arrangements.