By The Sampadak Express
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has pledged support for around 24,000 teachers whose appointments were canceled after the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta High Court decision to annul a “tainted” recruitment process. The affected teachers had been appointed in 2016 through the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) for government and aided schools.
In an emergency meeting at the State Secretariat on April 3, 2025, Mamata expressed her inability to accept the judgment from a humanitarian perspective, although she respected the ruling. She announced plans for a “Deprived Teachers’ Association” and promised to listen to their grievances on April 7.
The Calcutta High Court had earlier in 2024 invalidated the appointments of 23,123 teachers and non-teaching staff, ruling that the recruitment process was marred by manipulation and fraud. The Supreme Court upheld this decision, with a bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar agreeing that the process was compromised.
Mamata questioned why all the teachers were being punished for the actions of a few, adding that the earlier order by the High Court had been stayed. She urged the Chief Justice to adopt a more humanitarian approach. Despite her opposition to the judgment, Mamata assured that the State Education Department would proceed with a fresh recruitment process within three months, as per the Court’s instructions.
Following the Supreme Court ruling, many teachers gathered at Shahid Minar, visibly upset. Opposition parties blamed Mamata for the crisis, while the Chief Minister warned that the situation could have a severe impact on the state’s education system.
Mamata encouraged the affected teachers not to lose hope and assured them that they could reapply when the new recruitment process begins. She also accused BJP and CPI(M) leaders of playing a role in the crisis, claiming that they were responsible for the turmoil.
The recruitment scam came to light in 2022 with the arrest of former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and several other officials involved in the scandal. The case has been a point of political contention, with accusations of corruption and unfair practices in the recruitment process. Mamata hinted that the state government may consider legal options, including a review of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
