SC allows untainted West Bengal teachers to continue until fresh recruitment ends in December 2025
Apr 17, 2025
New Delhi [India], April 17 : The Supreme Court has allowed the teachers whose appointments have been cancelled due to irregularities in the recruitment process to continue until the fresh selection process is completed.
However, a bench led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna clarified that the aforesaid relief is only for teachers whose appointments were "untainted."
The top court also refused to grant relief to continue service to the teaching staff in Groups C and D, stating that there are more "tainted" candidates in those categories.
The top court also directed the West Bengal government and the WB Staff Selection Commission to issue advertisements for fresh recruitment of assistant teachers by May 31 and to complete the entire process by December 31.
The top court took its decision citing that the students undergoing studies should not suffer on account of the order passed by the court following the irregularities in the entire recruitment process in 2016.
On April 11, the Senior Secondary Commission (SSC) teachers sat on a 'dharna' protest outside the SSC office in Kolkata. The teachers are protesting against the Mamata Banerjee-led state government. Around 26000 teachers have lost their jobs following the SSC recruitment case, which resulted in a Supreme Court judgement that said the whole recruitment process was flawed.
Earlier, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers protested against the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led state government over 26,000 teachers losing their jobs in connection with the SSC recruitment scam.
On April 7, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met with teachers who lost their jobs after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court order to cancel the appointment of over 25,000 staff in Bengal schools by the School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016 and alleged that there is a "conspiracy" going on to destroy the education system. She further said that as long as she is alive, she is not going to let any deserving person lose their job.
