The Calcutta High Court delivered a significant ruling Monday, nullifying all appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff made through the 2016 state-level test in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided secondary and higher secondary schools.
In a verdict declaring the appointments “null and void,” the division bench comprising Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi mandated a fresh recruitment process, effectively canceling 25,753 jobs.
Additionally, the court ordered individuals appointed through the 2016 State-Level Selection Test (SLST) to repay their salaries within four weeks. The test had attracted over 23 lakh candidates vying for 24,640 vacant positions.
Furthermore, the bench directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a thorough investigation into the appointment process and submit a report within three months.
In a move toward transparency, the court instructed authorities to upload all answer sheets of the SSC recruitment test on their website, ensuring accountability and fairness in future recruitment processes.
The ruling is seen as an embarrassment for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the election season.
The CBI has already arrested former state education minister and TMC leader Partha Chatterjee and some party functionaries who held positions in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) during the occurrence of the alleged scam.
With inputs from PTI
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Calcutta HC annuls over 25k jobs in West Bengal schools, asks recruits to payback salary
