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In a whirlwind of judicial affairs, a Calcutta High Court Division Bench stayed a Single Bench order which directed Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam in Bengal. This is the second time Single Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered such an inquiry, the second time against the express order of the Division Bench. 

The Court is hearing a matter of alleged irregularities in the appointment of 'Group-D' staff in sponsored Secondary and Higher Secondary schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) on the purported recommendation by the West Bengal Central School Service Commission ((WBSSC).

Timeline of events:

• Justice Gangopadhyay had earlier passed a similar order for CBI to conduct an enquiry into such irregularity.  
• However, such order was set aside by a Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Rabindranath Samanta, instead an Judicial Inquiry Committee was set up headed by former Judge Ranjit Kumar Bagh. 
• In compliance of such order, Justice Gangopadhyay ordered the committee to submit an inquiry report by an order dated 9th February, 2022. 
• However, such report was not filed and no one appeared on behalf of the committee to state the reason behind non submission of report. 
• Today in the morning, Justice Gangopadhyay observed that the Committee had shown e Committee has clearly shown disrespect to the Court by not filing such report. Justice Gangopadhyay disolved the committee again ordered CBI to conduct a probe into the matter.

Justice Gangopadhyay while passing such order noted that the committee is not acting under the Division Bench and had ordered the committee to file report before the single bench. "Therefore satisfaction of this court is necessary for continuation of the committee. I am wholly dissatisfied with the committee and it is not required to function further in this matter. The Committee shall have no power to inquire into the matter from today," Justice Gangopadhyay noted.

• Following such order, the State approached the Division Bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Rabindranath Samanta. The Division Bench stayed the order of Single Bench "until further order/orders of this Court, whichever is earlier."

The matter will be heard next Monday by the Division Bench. 

West Bengal School Service Commission v. Sandip Prasad and Ors