Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he has asked the West Bengal BJP unit to create a separate legal cell to provide help to “genuine teachers and candidates” who have lost jobs due to the School Service Commission (SSC) scam.
While addressing an election rally at Bardhaman-Durgapur, Modi said, “Although he wants those involved in corruption by the TMC to be punished but doesn’t want the innocent to suffer.”
“The corruption that the TMC has done in Bengal in school recruitment is shameful. Due to this scam, several genuine candidates have suffered. I have asked the Bengal BJP unit on behalf of the party to create a separate legal cell and social media platform to provide help to the genuine candidates and teachers,” he said.
“BJP will support such honest candidates and will provide them legal help and will fight for them. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
Modi’s remarks came a week after the Calcutta High Court declared the recruitment process of the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools as “null and void,” ordering the cancellation of all appointments made through it.
Around 26,000 people have lost jobs following the court order.
Hit hard by court order
On 22 April, the
Calcutta High Court
declared the entire panel of the 2016 SSC recruitment null and void due to identified irregularities in appointments across various educational sectors in the state. Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi, comprising the division bench, unequivocally invalidated all appointments made through the 2016 state-level test conducted by the West Bengal SSC. The court mandated the administration to initiate fresh appointments within a 15-day timeframe.
This resulted in the immediate job loss of teachers and non-teaching staff. The court’s decree extends further, necessitating individuals appointed under the invalidated process to refund their salaries within a stipulated six-week period.
What is the 2016 SSC scam in Bengal all about?
The purported
West Bengal Teacher Recruitment Scam
stems from the inception of the teacher hiring procedure in state-owned schools through the State Level Selection Test (SLST) in 2014 with the recruitment officially starting in 2016.
In 2016, the West Bengal government released a notification for the employment of 13,000 Group-D staff in state-operated schools.
Multiple petitions were lodged in the high court asserting discrepancies in the scandal. Allegations surfaced that numerous candidates with lower scores were ranked higher on the merit roster, prompting doubts about the integrity of the selection process. Furthermore, accusations emerged suggesting that individuals not listed on the merit roster received appointment letters.
The recruitment exam was conducted to fill vacancies for the posts of assistant teachers for Classes 9-10, assistant teachers for Classes 11-12, Group C (clerks) and Group D posts.
How the Bengal government reacted?
On 24 April, the West Bengal government under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership took the step to approach the Supreme Court, contesting the decision of the Calcutta High Court. This ruling revoked nearly 24,000 appointments of both teaching and non-teaching personnel, which were conducted through the 2016 SSC recruitment process.
Reacting to the HC’s verdict, Banerjee said: “The court verdict cancelling all recruitments is illegal. We stand by those who lost jobs. We will ensure you get justice, and challenge the order in a higher court.”
However, quick relief to those affected is unlikely soon.
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