Former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay has landed in controversy after speaking harshly to a group of dismissed school employees who came to him for help. When they asked about their jobs, he said, “Don’t ask such foolish questions, ask the Supreme Court.” He also scolded them, saying, “You don’t know what to ask whom. You don’t deserve to be a teacher.” The video of the incident has gone viral and many people are criticizing his rude behaviour.
Judge-turned–BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay told a group of dismissed school employees on Wednesday not to “ask such foolish questions” and suggested they “ask the Supreme Court” when they inquired about their job status.
Gangopadhyay visited the school service commission chairperson in Salt Lake with the intention of finding a solution.
As he was about to get into his car after the meeting, some employees asked,
“Sir, amader chakri ta thakbe toh (Sir, will we still have our jobs)?”
In response, the former judge remarked,
“Don’t ask such foolish questions. Go and ask the Supreme Court about this. You don’t know what to ask whom. You don’t deserve to be a teacher. Go.”
He then slammed the car door and left.
Despite his initial willingness to assist, many in front of the office expressed disappointment. They had hoped Gangopadhyay, who had previously dealt with recruitment cases as a Calcutta High Court judge, would provide them with some relief.
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He had previously ordered a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in the hiring of teaching and non-teaching staff.
When he suggested they ask the Supreme Court, many attendees questioned the purpose of his visit.
One dismissed teacher said,
“We pinned our hopes on him because he knew the case in and out. Since he held a meeting with the chairperson and indicated that separating deserving from undeserving candidates was feasible, we asked him whether we would still have our jobs. But he left it to the Supreme Court,”
Gangopadhyay, who represents Tamluk, was scheduled to meet Education Minister Bratya Basu later but canceled due to his frustration over police actions against sacked teachers at district inspector offices statewide.
He stated,
“I am upset with the way police beat up the sacked and aggrieved teachers at the district inspector of schools’ offices across the state. This government believes in repression. Therefore, there was no point in holding any talks with the minister,”
Minister Basu confirmed that Gangopadhyay had visited the SSC office shortly after an upsetting incident at the DI office in Kasba, which led him to cancel the meeting.
Basu explained,
“He went to the SSC office at 12:30 PM. By then, the incident at the DI office in Kasba had happened. He did not have any problem meeting the SSC chairperson. But the incident in Kasba became so upsetting for him that he couldn’t meet me,”
Basu also questioned whether political pressure influenced Gangopadhyay’s decision, noting that it was Gangopadhyay who had suggested the meeting to address the stalemate.
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Instead of delivering his suggestions as planned, Gangopadhyay tore a piece of paper in front of the SSC office, claiming it was his letter.
SSC chairperson Siddhartha Majumdar commented,
“We heard what the former judge had to say.”
On March 5, 2024, Gangopadhyay stepped down from his judicial role and two days later became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He ran in the 2024 Indian general election for the Tamluk constituency in West Bengal and was elected as a Member of Parliament.