Calcutta High Court hears arguments in the mass suspension of 32,000 teacher appointments. Exempted candidates claim eligibility despite scoring zero in aptitude tests.
Kolkata: Today, on July 7, the Calcutta High Court is currently hearing a significant case related to the mass cancellation and suspension of around 32,000 primary school teacher appointments in West Bengal.
The case is being heard by a division bench consisting of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra.
During the proceedings, arguments were made by the counsel representing the candidates who had received jobs under the “exempted category.”
These candidates claim they were legally appointed on the basis of their land being acquired by the government, which made them eligible for the job as per the rules for land-losers.
The counsel argued before the court,
“We have provided the certificate that our land was taken and on that basis we were given employee. We belong from district of Malda and Murshidabad. If I have cleared the aptitude test is not relevant.”
In response, the bench asked,
“You had no aptitude test?”
To this, the counsel responded,
“That is what they say. Even if aptitude is not there or even if I score 0 in it I am still eligible for employment because I am from exempted category. In the two district the number was vacancy was much higher than how many applied for the job.”
The court then remarked,
“Your argument is that irrespective of the marks you are eligible for appointment. That is very…..”
The counsel went on to say,
“We were all untrained but we completed the training within two years. Even if there was a scam we are still in that zone. The question of aptitude marks would have arisen if there were 72 seats and 1000 applications. If the number of applications are less then aptitude marks dont matter.”
He further added,
“In the procedure of application there is no cut off marks given so I have completed all my qualification.”
The counsel completed his submissions, maintaining that the appointments made under the exempted category cannot be invalidated solely on the basis of aptitude test performance, especially when no minimum marks were notified and the number of applicants was lower than the available vacancies.
This case has gained significant public and legal attention as it concerns the future of thousands of teachers in West Bengal.
The matter is part of a larger controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment across the state, often referred to as the WBSSC scam.
Background of the Case
The case revolves around the controversial appointment of approximately 32,000 primary school teachers in West Bengal, which has been mired in allegations of large-scale irregularities and corruption.
These appointments were made through the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), and following reports of malpractice, many of them were either suspended or cancelled. The controversy became part of what is widely referred to as the WBSSC recruitment scam.
Among those affected are candidates who were selected under the “exempted category” — individuals whose land was acquired by the government and who, in return, were granted certain benefits, including preference in government jobs.
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These candidates argue that their appointments were lawful and made according to policy, even if they did not meet certain academic or performance criteria like the aptitude test.
Case Title:
Dipankar Singha and Others v. Union of India and Another (Case No. MAT/1109/2023)
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