While the Supreme Court verdict invalidated the appointment of 25,752 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal citing corruption in the selection process, one person will retain her job. Soma Das, a cancer-stricken teacher from Bengali teacher at Madhura High School in Nalhati-1 block of Birbhum, will get to stay in her job despite all others losing theirs in the 2016 SSC recruitment scam.
The bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld the Calcutta High Court verdict which retained Soma's appointment on 'humanitarian grounds'.
However, Soma expressed her anguish about the others losing their jobs. "I never wanted others to lose their jobs. This verdict is not acceptable to me as many others in the entire panel were qualified. Due to some negligence on the part of the government and the commission (SSC), it was not possible to separate the qualified and the ineligible," Das told Anandabaazar Patrika.
She appeared for the 9th-10th class teacher recruitment (SLST) exam in 2016. However, she was allegedly not given the job despite her name being on the merit list. A case was filed in the High Court. During her legal fight, she was diagnosed with cancer in February 2019. Despite the treatment, she continued her fight, holding sit-ins on the streets of Kolkata, demanding the job. Her plight was brought to the attention of the then-justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
Justice Gangopadhyay then 'requested' the state government to appoint Soma. In 2022, the commission accepted that 'request' and posted her at Modhura District School at Nalhati in Birbhum. She continues to hold the position.
The Division Bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Mohammad Shabbar Rashidi of Calcutta High Court too exempted Soma while her entire panel was cancelled in their verdict.
Though there were other specially abled persons on the list, the Supreme Court did not consider their plea to join the work. However, they will be able to participate in the new recruitment process.
