The story so far
Teachers in West Bengal protested for days outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office in Kolkata.
They demanded the list of ‘tainted’ and ‘untainted’ candidates from the 2016 recruitment.
The protests began on April 21 and were paused for a week.
What did the government say?
The government said it had sent the lists to district school inspectors.
Teachers agreed to return to schools but planned to resume protests soon.
On April 26, non-teaching staff also met the government.
The Chief Minister announced financial support: ₹25,000/month for Group C and ₹20,000/month for Group D staff until court decisions are made.
What have the courts ruled?
On April 3, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel 25,752 school job appointments from 2016.
The Court said the recruitment was full of fraud and manipulation.
Neither WBSSC nor the government could provide a clear list of ‘tainted’ and ‘untainted’ candidates.
The mass cancellation affected about 19,000 schools in the State.
What relief has been granted?
On April 17, the Supreme Court allowed ‘untainted’ teachers to stay in their jobs until new hiring is done by 2025.
No such relief was given to non-teaching staff.
The government has not officially published the list, but protestors claim that 15,403 of the 17,206 teachers are ‘untainted’.
Protesters demand the list to protect their dignity, not just salaries.
When did the scam surface?
The scam came to light after the arrest of former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in July 2022.
The case involved bribes in exchange for school jobs.
Many others were arrested later as the investigation continued.
COMMENTS