West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has pledged her support for educators whose appointments were recently nullified by a Supreme Court ruling, drawing comparisons to the handling of the nationwide NEET medical entrance exam. Addressing a rally of affected teachers at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium, she questioned the court’s definition of “deserving” candidates and requested a detailed list from the judiciary.
“The Supreme Court must define who qualifies as deserving,” Banerjee stated. “No one has the right to destabilize our education system. We recall the Vyapam case in Madhya Pradesh—justice remains elusive for those impacted. Allegations arose during NEET, yet the examination wasn’t entirely cancelled. Why is West Bengal being singled out? Are you afraid of Bengal’s talent?”
The Supreme Court’s order last week invalidated the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and school staff hired by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016 due to widespread irregularities discovered within the recruitment process. The court characterized the situation as “vitiated and tainted beyond resolution,” citing systemic issues.
The ruling specifically highlighted:
- Rank Jumping: Preference given to candidates with lower rankings over those with higher ones.
- Out-of-Panel Appointments: Recommendations and appointments of individuals not included within the initial shortlisted candidate pool.
- Unrecommended Appointments: Hiring of candidates who had not been formally recommended by the WBSSC.
- OMR Score Manipulation: Concerns surrounding the integrity of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) scores.
Further compounding concerns, the court noted that the School Service Commission destroyed the OMR sheets, an action deemed to lack “justification.”
“Despite factual evidence indicating irregularities, the WBSSC initially attempted to conceal these lapses and illegalities. This cover-up has rendered verification and ascertainment exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, given the extensive camouflage employed at each stage. We are convinced that the entire selection process was intentionally compromised due to the illegalities involved,” the court’s order stated.
The court stipulated that individuals deemed untainted should not be required to repay salaries earned during their tenure but must relinquish their positions. The state government has been directed to re-initiate the recruitment process within three months.
Banerjee, facing intense scrutiny, accused the BJP and CPM of orchestrating a plot intended to undermine West Bengal’s education system. “You have agents everywhere,” she asserted, “But don’t deprive teachers of their livelihoods in an attempt to target me. Remember, an injured tiger is more dangerous. This is an attack on our government.”
While acknowledging the court’s ruling and committing to seeking clarification and filing a review petition, Banerjee instructed the affected educators to continue working. “You haven’t received termination letters, so carry on,” she urged.
Teachers present at the rally voiced their determination not to undergo further examinations for job qualification. “We will file a review petition, and we urge the West Bengal government and School Service Commission to do the same,” one teacher declared.
