The Calcutta High Court rendered an important verdict concerning the 2016 West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSCC) teacher recruitment panel in a landmark decision. Over 24,000 jobs have been impacted by the recruiting process’ total annulment as a result of this court ruling. The decision raises concerns about the validity of appointments made through this panel in light of disclosures of anomalies in the hiring process.
Termination of Recruitment Panel and Salary Recovery
The division bench, which was comprised of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi, has ruled that the appointments of teaching and non-teaching personnel to state-government-sponsored and aided schools in Bengal are void as a whole. Interestingly, the court ordered those instructors hired using illegal means—like using blank OMR sheets—refund their salary within a four-week period. The duty of obtaining these monies has been placed on the district magistrate.
Reassessing the ordered OMR sheets
Furthermore, the court has mandated a reassessment of around 23 lakh OMR sheets that were used in the WBSSC entrance test for the hiring procedure. By using this metric, the performance and eligibility of the applicants will be evaluated in a transparent and equitable manner.
CBI Probe and New Appointment Procedure
The High Court has ordered the Central Bureau of probe (CBI) to speed up its probe into the appointment process, with a particular focus on identifying any anomalies, even though petitions for a stay on the decision were denied. Three months is the limit that the CBI has been given to turn in its report. To fill the open posts in the meantime, the WBSSC has been directed to start a new appointment procedure.
