Fresh protests erupted in Kolkata on Monday (November 17, 2025) in connection with the fresh recruitment of teachers in West Bengal state-aided schools. Candidates have opposed many non-teaching candidates getting additional credits for ‘work experience’, when that credit was to be reserved for teaching experience.

A section of petitioners has filed a case alleging that tainted candidates have also made it into the merit list even after a Supreme Court order barred them from the exams.

On Saturday (November 15, 2025), the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) released a list of over 20,000 candidates for shortlisted candidates for interviews for teaching assistant posts for class 11 and 12. Candidates moved court on Monday (November 17, 2025) and raised questions about how the tainted candidates were allowed to fill up forms, issued admit cards, and allowed to sit for exams when the top court specifically asked the West Bengal government to not allow them in the fresh hiring process.

Many also alleged that multiple ‘untainted’ teachers have not made it to the interview list, and some candidates with full marks in their written test have also allegedly been left out.

“You must increase the number of vacant seats,” one of the demands put forth by the protesting candidates read on their posters.

“We have seen a lof of ‘tainted’ teachers name on the list. I hope they are taken out during verification. Many have also gotten extra 10 marks for their ‘work experience’ from other fields, though this was supposed to be reserved for only ‘teaching experience’. We hope these mistakes are rectified,” Chinmoy Mondal, a member of ‘Joggya Sikkhak Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha’ (Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum) said.

Candidates erupted in protests at Salt Lake as they demanded to head to Bikash Bhawan (State Education Department Headquarters) to demand an audience for their grievances, but were stopped by the police.

“A lot of candidates who have worked for 5-6 years and have never taken part in any scam have been left out in the merit lists. We have done no wrong, then why are we being scapegoated?” Mehboob Mondal, another protesting teacher said.

However, State Education Minister Bratya Basu asked the job seekers to have faith in the process. “The document verification process for the said candidates is scheduled to commence formally from November 18, 2025—a shining example of the transparency, robustness, and commitment in our pledge to complete the recruitment process by December,” he further added in his social media post.

The merit lists of candidates who appeared for the assistant teaching jobs for classes 9,10 are yet to be published.

The exams took place on September 7 and 14 and the hiring process is to be completed by December 31 as per the apex court order.

There are 15,403 ‘untainted’ teachers who have their hope pinned on the fresh recruitment process to reinstate their jobs, which were annulled after the April 3 Supreme Court order that cancelled the whole 2016 panel, citing irregularities in the hiring process.

In a related development, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that Trinamool Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha, who has been arrested in the school recruitment scam, is taking bribes from jail to fast-track the fresh recruitment process. He urged the Enforcement Directorate to take immediate action and shared a video which is allegedly of Mr Saha while taking bribes. However, the authenticity of the video has not been verified.