On Monday, the Supreme Court will look into requests that challenge a decision made by the Calcutta High Court. This decision canceled the job appointments of 25,753 teachers and staff in government and aided schools in West Bengal. A group of judges, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, will hear the case.
Back on January 15, many people argued that this decision hurt innocent candidates who got the jobs fairly. The Chief Justice recognized their concerns and said it’s important to fix any wrongdoings while also protecting those who got hired without any issues. He mentioned that, if possible, cases involving innocent people should be prioritized.
There are 124 petitions waiting in the Supreme Court, including one from the state government, arguing against the High Court’s decision from April 2024. When discussing this case in December, the Supreme Court questioned why West Bengal made extra positions for teachers instead of removing those appointed wrongly.
On May 7, last year, the Supreme Court temporarily paused the High Court’s cancellation of these appointments. However, they allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to keep looking into the case, but without taking harsh actions against those involved. The Supreme Court said that if they find out the hires were illegal, the teachers and staff will have to pay back their salaries.
Earlier, in May 2022, the state government had created an extra 6,861 teaching positions to help candidates who were on the waiting list. They directed that jobs be offered to these candidates based on recommendations from the School Service Commission, but only if there were no legal issues pending.
In total, more than 23 lakh candidates took the test for 24,640 job openings, and 25,753 appointment letters were distributed
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