Bengal cash for jobs scam: 25,000 teachers in Bengal are sacked and told to return their salaries

• Image Credit: Google

Digital Desk: The 2016 government-sponsored and aided school recruitment procedure was declared invalid by the Calcutta High Court, dealing a serious setback to the Mamata Banerjee-led administration in West Bengal. A startling 25,753 appointees are impacted by the court's ruling; they may now have to return their salary with a 12% interest rate or risk losing their jobs.

The division bench, which included Justices Debangsu Basak and Md. Shabbar Rashidi, concluded that there were anomalies in the hiring process for school teachers, mainly with reference to the candidates' submission of blank OMR sheets. As a result, district magistrates have been given the responsibility of retrieving the money, and the court has ordered these appointees to return their salaries within four weeks.

Amidst all of this, a glimmer of humanity emerges when the court makes an exception for Soma Das, allowing her to continue working while she is receiving cancer treatment. This decision highlights humanitarian concerns amidst the intricate legal issues.

In addition, the bench—which was established by the Supreme Court—has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out a more thorough investigation into the appointment procedure and provide a report in three months. It has also been instructed that the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) start a new appointment process.

It should come as no surprise that Siddharth Majumder, the chairman of the WBSSC, has declared his desire to appeal the high court's decision to the Supreme Court, indicating an impending judicial struggle.

The consequences of this decision go beyond the legal sphere as a number of Trinamool leaders, including Partha Chatterjee, the former minister of education, and former officials are already behind bars in relation to the teacher recruitment scandal.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused political influence on the judiciary in response to the court's ruling, naming BJP politicians in particular. She denounced the BJP for allegedly knowing about the verdict ahead of time and charged them with planning a plot to topple her administration.

On the other hand, the Bengal BJP has used the decision to criticise the Trinamool government and project Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee to lose in the elections. They see this as a chance to incite public disapproval of the ruling party.

With almost 23 lakh candidates vying for 24,640 seats in the State Level Selection Test-2016—a process now clouded by claims of malpractice—the dispute is massive in scope.

Judges have previously intervened in West Bengal's education system before, as seen by the removal of WBSSC panels by the Calcutta High Court and the subsequent cancellation of thousands of appointments for inexperienced elementary teachers.

Judge Abhijit Ganguly's resignation and subsequent foray into electoral politics are two examples of how judicial personalities have navigated dangerous political waters amidst the turmoil surrounding the teacher recruitment controversy.

The drama continues against the backdrop of a hotly disputed political scene in West Bengal, with the involvement of the Supreme Court offering some affected parties some relief.