Calcutta HC Cancels All Staff Appointments Via 2016 State-Level Test In Bengal Govt Schools

The Calcutta High Court on Monday also ordered a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the 2016 selection irregularities in West Bengal school jobs.

A division bench comprising justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi of the Calcutta High Court on Monday pronounced its judgement on petitions and appeals relating to alleged irregularities in the selection of candidates in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided secondary and higher secondary schools through a 2016 recruitment process.

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Hearing in the matters was concluded on March 20 and judgement was reserved by the division bench.

The CBI, which investigated the case on an order of the high court, arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and some functionaries who held positions in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) during the occurrence of the alleged scam.

The division bench was formed by the Chief Justice of the high court on a direction of the Supreme Court. The bench had heard numerous petitions and appeals relating to the selection of candidates for appointment by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 and Group-C and D staffers through State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST).

On writ petitions by some candidates who appeared in SLST-2016, but did not get jobs, a single bench presided by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had ordered CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment process, according to a news agency PTI report. The high court had also ordered the termination of a number of jobs of teaching and non-teaching staffers after finding irregularities.

Disposing of petitions before it in connection with the matters, the Supreme Court had on November 9 last year requested the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to form a division bench to hear all the petitions and appeals pertaining to the recruitment process through SLST-2016 for early adjudication.

The Supreme Court, in its order, accorded protection to the appointments which were terminated by the high court, for a period of six months to enable the division bench to adjudicate on the disputes.

The CBI completed the investigation into the matters and submitted a report before the high court in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Court to do so within two months from the date of its order.

(with PTI inputs)