West Bengal govt moves Supreme Court against Calcutta HC order to scrap appointment of over 23k teachers

New Delhi: Two days after the Calcutta High Court quashed appointment of 23,123 teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal, the state government has moved the Supreme Court claiming the decision would bring the education system at a stand-still.

The division bench of Calcutta High Court had ordered cancellation of all appointments made through the recruitment process of State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in government and aided schools, declaring it as "null and void".

Questioning validity of April 22 judgement, the state government said the High Court proceeded in a cursory manner, in utter disregard to the fact that the cancelling all appointments will lead to a huge vacuum in the schools, especially when the new academic sessions is on its brim.

The state also took exception to the direction to the candidates who submitted blank OMR sheets but obtained appointments, to return all remunerations and benefits along with interest at 12 per cent per annum, from the date of receipt thereof till deposit, within a period of four weeks.

"There was no occasion for the High Court to set aside/cancel the entire recruitment, when the allegedly wrongful and illegal appointments identified by the SSC based on the CBI report, could have as per law been set aside, after hearing the aggrieved parties," it said.

Instead of separating the grains from the chaff, the High Court has proceeded to paint the entire selection process with the same colour of irregularity, leaving the state government as the sole authority responsible to maintain the Teacher-Pupil ratio in schools in a precarious position, the Mamata Banerjee government said.

As per the CBI enquiry report and the affidavit by the SSC, irregularity in appointments were only found for 4,327 teachers and non teaching staff, however, the High Court, on its own wisdom, strikes at the legal and valid selections of 23,123 teachers, which was not found to be riddled with any anomaly as per the chargesheet filed by CBI concluding the investigation, the state government said in its special leave petition.

The state government also contended the High Court cancelled the entire selection process with immediate effect without giving sufficient time to it to deal with the present education system or make any necessary arrangements. It also questioned the court's direction to undertake a fresh selection process within a fortnight of the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results.

Over 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the SLST-2016, which was marred by the allegations of gross irregularities. The matter which came to be known as cash for job scam led to arrest of former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and others.