Major Setback for West Bengal Govt, HC Declares SSC Recruitment ‘Null & Void’

The Calcutta High Court on Monday declared the selection process of the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools null and void. It ordered the cancellation of all appointments made through this process.

The Bench

A bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct further investigation into the appointment process and submit a report within three months. Additionally, the division bench directed the West Bengal School Service Commission to initiate a fresh appointment process.

Over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the 2016 SLST for 24,640 vacant posts.

A total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued against the vacancies, as confirmed by Firdaus Shamim, a lawyer representing some of the petitioners.

The bench also dismissed a prayer by some appellants for a stay on the order.

Following the high court’s decision, hundreds of school job aspirants waiting outside its premises expressed their joy, with many shedding tears of relief.

Supreme Court

Formed by the Chief Justice of the high court on the direction of the Supreme Court, the division bench extensively heard numerous petitions and appeals concerning the selection of candidates for appointment by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11, and 12, as well as group-C and D staffers through the SLST-2016.

The hearing concluded on March 20, and judgment was reserved by the bench.

Writ Petitions

On writ petitions filed by some candidates who appeared in SLST-2016 but did not secure jobs, a single bench led by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had ordered a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

Additionally, the high court had ordered the termination of several teaching and non-teaching staff positions after uncovering irregularities.

Addressing the petitions before it in connection with the matters, the Supreme Court, on November 9, 2023, urged the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to constitute a division bench to hear all the petitions and appeals related to the recruitment process through SLST-2016 for early adjudication.

The apex court, in its order, provided protection to the appointments terminated by the high court for a period of six months to enable the division bench to resolve the disputes. The CBI completed the investigation into the matters and submitted a report before the high court as directed by the Supreme Court, within two months from the date of its order. The central probe agency has arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and some functionaries who held positions in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) during the alleged scam.

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