WB School Jobs Row: SC Reserves Order on Pleas Against HC Verdict on Appointments

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its judgment on petitions challenging the Calcutta High Court’s April 22, 2024 ruling, which had nullified the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar stated, "Arguments heard. Judgment reserved." The court considered 124 petitions, including one filed by the West Bengal government, opposing the high court's verdict.

A group of senior lawyers, including Mukul Rohatgi, Ranjit Kumar, Abhishek Singhvi, Dushyant Dave, P S Patwalia, Rakesh Dwivedi, Maninder Singh, Shyam Divan, Prashant Bhushan, Meenakshi Arora, and Karuna Nandi, represented various parties in the case.

Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the West Bengal government, argued against the high court’s ruling. The Supreme Court began the final hearing on December 19, 2023, and heard arguments on January 15, January 27, and February 10, before reserving its much-awaited verdict in this politically significant case.

The Calcutta High Court had struck down the appointments due to alleged irregularities, including OMR sheet tampering and rank-jumping, in the recruitment process for teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and state-aided schools.

On May 7, 2023, the Supreme Court had stayed the high court’s order regarding the appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC). However, it allowed the CBI to continue its investigation into the matter.

The case centers on alleged irregularities in the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal SSC. While 23 lakh candidates had appeared for 24,640 posts, a total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had described the alleged recruitment scam in West Bengal as a "systemic fraud" and emphasized that state authorities must maintain digitized records of the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff.

(With PTI inputs)