The Supreme Court has delivered a major verdict in the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam case, upholding the Calcutta High Court's decision to cancel the recruitment of 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff. This ruling is a significant blow to the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, as the court declared the entire selection process corrupt.
Recruitment Process Declared Corrupt: The court ruled that the recruitment of 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government schools was fraudulent and must be canceled.
No Salary Refund Required: Teachers who have lost their jobs will not have to return the salaries they earned during their employment.
New Selection Process in Three Months: The West Bengal government must conduct a fresh recruitment process within three months. Eligible candidates from the canceled recruitment may receive exemptions.
Disabled Candidates to Retain Jobs for Now: The Supreme Court allowed disabled candidates to continue working until the new recruitment is completed. They will also receive age relaxation if required in the fresh selection process.
The recruitment process began in 2016 following a 2014 notification by the West Bengal Staff Selection Commission. Allegations of irregularities surfaced when some candidates claimed that undeserving individuals were appointed despite low scores.
In 2022, the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI investigation into the scam.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) later joined the probe, uncovering massive corruption, including bribery and cash transactions worth crores.
The case led to multiple raids and recoveries of large sums of money, further exposing the scale of the recruitment fraud.
With the Supreme Court's decision, the West Bengal government must now conduct a fresh recruitment drive in a fair and transparent manner. Meanwhile, the CBI continues its investigation into those responsible for the scam.
