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While passing this order today, the Top Court made it clear that it was not commenting on the merits of the case.
The Supreme Court today set aside a Calcutta High Court order whereby it had cancelled the appointment of 32,000 primary school teachers in West Bengal who were untrained at the time of recruitment.
A division bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan passed the order while asking the High Court to expeditiously hear the cash for school jobs scam case.
By the impugned order the high court had ordered the West Bengal Board of Primary Education to organise a new recruitment process within three months for candidates who participated in the 2016 recruitment process. No new or other candidates will be permitted to participate in such a recruitment test the single judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had said while adding that, “A corruption of this magnitude was never known in the State of West Bengal.”
Top Court agreed with the submission made by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education that to call for selection of 32,000 teachers and hold their interview within the specified time frame would not be possible as it would be an expensive exercise.
In the impugned order, the High Court had directed that all examinees shall undergo both an interview and an aptitude test and that the entire interview process be properly videographer and recorded.
Justice Gangopadhyay further had directed that the same recruitment process will be followed as per the norms and legal procedures as the 2016 recruitment process. The court stated that no fresh or additional candidates will be permitted to participate in the recruitment process.
Notably, a division bench of Justices Subrata Talukdar and Supratim Bhattacharya had stayed the order passed by Justice Gangopadhyay, and had passed an interim stay on job terminations until the end of September 2023 or until any further rulings, whichsoever is earlier.
Further, the high court's division bench had also ordered that the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, as directed by the single bench, will conduct the recruitment exercise for candidates who were untrained at the time of recruitment, including candidates who have obtained training qualifications in the interim, within three months.
Case Title: TUHIN KUMAR HALDI AND ORS. vs. PRIYANKA NASKAR AND ORS.
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