Overruling objections, the Supreme Court Thursday allowed “untainted” candidates who were employed as assistant teachers, and lost their jobs after the top court’s order, to continue to teach, with the rider that the state complete fresh recruitments by December 31 this year.
“We are inclined to accept the prayer in the application in so far as it relates to the Assistant Teachers for classes 9 to 12, subject to the following conditions. Advertisement for fresh recruitment shall be published on or before May 31, 2025. Examinations and the entire recruitment process shall be completed by December 31, 2025,” a bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said, allowing an application moved by the state.
The bench directed the state government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to “file an affidavit on or before May 31, 2025, inclusive therewith of the advertisement, as well as the schedule so as to ensure the completion of the recruitment process by December 31, 2025.”
The bench added that in case the advertisement is not published, and the affidavit is not filed by May 31, 2025, appropriate orders will be passed by the court, including imposing costs and vacation of the order.
The order came on an application filed by the state. The Supreme Court did not agree with arguments that the state’s plea was an attempt to circumvent the earlier order upholding the cancellation of the recruitments made in 2016.
On April 3, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court order which invalided WBSSC’s 2016 appointment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff recruited through the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) examinations, terming the entire selection process “tainted beyond resolution” and calling for a fresh selection process to fill the vacancies.
The teaching and non-teaching staff who lost their jobs have decided to go on a month-long series of protests, demanding their jobs back.
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