The Calcutta High Court on Monday cancelled the entire recruitment panel of the 2016 West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), leading to job losses of 25,753 teaching (for classes 9, 10, 11 and 12) and non-teaching staff (for Group C and D).
A division bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi delivered the verdict after finding that many in the panel were hired as part of the infamous SSC recruitment scam.
The verdict came after the court had earlier directed to re-evaluate the OMR sheets from the SLST-2016 recruitment exam in the ongoing proceedings in the cash-for-job multi-tier recruitment scam.
On Monday, the court instructed the commission to start a new recruitment process within the next 15 days after the end of 2024 Lok Sabha elections to reconstitute the panel and give jobs to deserving applicants.
Furthermore, the court ruled that those who were unlawfully recruited must repay the full salary they received for the period they were employed with 12% annual interest.
The high court, though, has made an exception in the case of one person on humanitarian grounds, saying her job will remain safe. Soma Das, who is battling cancer, has been granted the exception by the court.
Hundreds of candidates, who had been protesting in Kolkata for more than three years claiming they were deserving candidates who were not hired, expressed joy after the verdict.
“We are extremely happy and feel that we have finally got justice. The court has today legitimised our claim that massive corruption took place,” said Lubana Parvin, a 36-year-old applicant who claimed she was not recruited despite being on the merit list.
Gopal Das, a 39-year-old applicant for a non-teaching position, expressed happiness but also empathy for the legitimate candidates who will be jobless due to the nullification of the entire panel.
“Not everyone among 25,000 were hired illegally. But for a few, everyone will suffer. I hope that with the court’s order, the state government will undertake the new recruitment process with complete honesty and everyone who deserves getting their jobs,” said Das, who has been in a sit-in protest in Kolkata for over 500 days.
Reportedly, the West Bengal government failed to distinguish between the legitimate candidates and those who were appointed in exchange for cash. Consequently, the Calcutta High Court division bench did not have any option but to cancel everyone’s employment.
“Everyone who got the job as per rules and legitimate means need not fear anything. The commission will now reevaluate all the OMR sheets and call for a fresh interview. All deserving candidates will get their rightful chance,” said advocate Firdous Shamim, one of the lawyers appearing for the petitioners.
Meanwhile, the TMC-led West Bengal government has challenged the verdict. “Cancelling the entire panel is an illegal verdict and we will challenge it in higher courts. Don’t lose hope,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “We stand by everyone who has lost their job. We will get get you justice.”
Opposition parties, on the other hand, criticised her government and said that the court’s verdict had proven that the TMC had engaged in mass-level corruption.
