Justice Saugata Bhattacharya questioned why unqualified aspirants are allowed in SSC exams. The court demanded answers over violations of the Supreme Court’s clear directives.
Kolkata: Today, on July 1, Justice Saugata Bhattacharya of the Calcutta High Court has questioned the West Bengal state government regarding the inclusion of ineligible candidates in the ongoing School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process, despite clear directions from the Supreme Court.
The matter pertains to the cancellation of 26,000 teaching jobs, for which the apex court had earlier ordered a fresh recruitment process to be conducted by the SSC.
ALSO READ: SSC Job Scam| “CBI Must Show the Information About Job Sales”: Calcutta HC
As per the Supreme Court’s ruling, only those candidates who have not been declared ineligible so far should be allowed to appear in the fresh examination.
However, serious concerns have now been raised in court about the state’s implementation of this directive.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya raised doubts about the recent SSC recruitment circular issued on May 30, which announced the hiring for more than 40,000 vacant posts. Addressing the state’s legal counsel, the judge asked: “The circular issued by the School Service Commission contains several questions. Answer them. Tell the court why you allowed ineligible candidates to appear for the exam despite the Supreme Court’s order.”
The petitioner in the case argued that the SSC’s May 30 notification did not clearly mention whether candidates who had already been declared ineligible by the court can apply for the new examination.
This has caused confusion among genuine job seekers and led to legal action against the state’s recruitment process.
Responding to these allegations, the state’s counsel defended the government’s actions, stating that everything has been done as per the Supreme Court’s directions.
However, the counsel also sought additional time from the High Court to file a detailed response.
The counsel said,
“Whatever the state has done so far has been done in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court,”
Another major point of contention raised by the petitioners concerns the evaluation criteria for the fresh recruitment exam.
As per the new rules, 10 marks have been allotted for prior teaching experience. This has been seen as discriminatory by many fresh candidates who do not have teaching experience, as they would automatically be at a disadvantage.
“Those who do not have the experience of teaching will first participate in this competition by getting less than 10 marks. They have to fall far behind,”
the petitioners stated, arguing that such a provision goes against the principles of fair competition and equal opportunity.
The High Court directed the state and the School Service Commission to file their detailed responses by Monday.
The matter was brought before the summer vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court by a group of aggrieved job aspirants and some currently employed teachers who claim to be qualified.
Initially, Justice Bhattacharya was hesitant to hear the matter, given that related issues are still being considered by the Supreme Court.
However, he later agreed to proceed with the case and scheduled a hearing for July 1.
“He later said he would hear the case on July 1.”
The application window for the new recruitment examination, as per the SSC’s May 30 notification, will remain open until July 14.
Background of the Case
The case arises from a major recruitment scandal involving the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC), where approximately 26,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs were cancelled following allegations of irregularities and corruption in the appointment process.
The Supreme Court of India, after reviewing the case, directed that all affected posts be filled through a fresh, transparent recruitment process.
Importantly, the apex court stated that only those candidates who had not been found ineligible in the earlier investigations should be permitted to sit for the new examination.
Following this, on May 30, 2025, the SSC issued a fresh notification to fill over 40,000 vacancies in schools.
However, concerns were soon raised by job aspirants and some qualified teachers, claiming that the notification failed to clearly mention whether ineligible candidates were barred from applying. This led to confusion and prompted legal challenges in the Calcutta High Court.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya of the Calcutta High Court took up the matter, expressing concern over the possible violation of the Supreme Court’s directive.
The High Court is now examining whether the state and SSC have allowed disqualified or ineligible candidates to participate in the fresh recruitment process, contrary to the orders issued by the Supreme Court.
Click Here to Read More Reports On SSC
