Supreme Court Steps in to Stay the Termination of 25,000 School Jobs in Bengal, Thrashes the Govt

The Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's order canceling over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs in West Bengal schools, terming the alleged recruitment scam a "systemic fraud" and slamming the state for failure to maintain proper digitized records.

The Supreme Court granted a stay on 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff appointments in state-run and aided schools of West Bengal, which were canceled by the Calcutta High Court and the order must be obeyed. But the prime court allegedly used the term "systemic fraud" to describe the recruitment scam and blamed the West Bengal government for not keeping proper digitized records.

The court bench headed by CJI D Y Chandrachud noted that if the CBI investigation finally unearths any irregularity in the appointment of nearly 8,000 teachers, then the High Court order will apply to all of them and they shall have to return their salaries.

"Public jobs today are very scarce.  They are no longer considered a path for social mobility.  What will remain in the system if your appointments also face criticism? People will lose faith. " said the CJI while talking to the lawyers who were representing the state.

The court was critical of the government, saying that the authorities were required to keep the records in digitized format without being aware of agencies other than the service providers. "The government had to achieve supervisory control," it said to the state's lawyers.

The State of Bengal questioned the April 22 order of the High Court, which revolved around the appointment cancellation, as it was considered "arbitrary", especially during the new academic session. It said that the order would leave a great gap between state schools if the SSC did not complete the fresh recruitment process.

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The interim order issued by the Supreme Court on this score offers a reprieve to the teachers and staff with whom jobs were on the line following the High Court verdict in the multi-crore corruption case. The top court has been the one that has asked for a response from the CBI about the investigations so far.