Calcutta High Court has reserved its judgment on pleas challenging a single-judge order allowing teacher recruitment in West Bengal. The case stems from the fallout of a tainted selection process affecting nearly 26,000 posts.
Kolkata: Today, on July 14, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court reserved its judgment on several appeals challenging a previous order passed by a single judge.
That order had directed the West Bengal government and the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC) to continue the recruitment process for government and aided school teachers in the state.
The division bench, led by Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De, heard arguments from all involved parties before deciding to reserve its verdict.
During the proceedings, the bench had instructed the state government, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, and the SSC to present copies of affidavits that were earlier submitted before the Supreme Court in the controversial school jobs scam case. In that matter, nearly 26,000 appointments had been cancelled due to irregularities in the selection process.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta, who appeared for the state, defended the government’s recruitment process and said that the notification for hiring teachers was issued in line with the current needs of the education system and was aimed at benefiting students.
He emphasized that the recruitment notice dated May 30, 2025, for the selection of teaching staff in government-sponsored and aided schools in West Bengal, was completely lawful.
He submitted before the court that
“the notification for the recruitment of teachers was as per the modern-day requirement and the benefit of students.”
He further added,
“the notification published on May 30 for the recruitment of teachers for West Bengal government-sponsored and -aided schools was in accordance with law.”
Dutta also questioned the legitimacy of the petitioner who had approached the single judge. He argued that the individual, claiming to be a candidate, had no legal standing to challenge the recruitment notification in court.
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In his words,
“the petitioner before the single bench, who claimed to be a candidate, had no locus standi to move the court over the matter.”
The state, the SSC, and the education board had all filed appeals against the single-bench decision dated July 7. That decision had instructed the authorities to proceed with the recruitment process initiated by the May 30 notification.
However, the same single-judge bench had refused to entertain another petition which challenged parts of the 2025 recruitment rules.
These rules included the criteria for minimum marks at the graduation or post-graduation level required for eligibility, and changes in the pattern of how marks would be awarded during the selection process.
Another candidate had separately petitioned the court, expressing dissatisfaction over the single bench’s refusal to examine these revised rules, which they believed affected the fairness and transparency of the recruitment.
Now, with all sides having presented their arguments, the final decision from the Calcutta High Court’s division bench is awaited. The outcome will significantly impact the ongoing recruitment process and could also influence how future recruitment drives in the state’s education sector are regulated.
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