Rahul Gandhi’s letter came after he met members of the Shishak Shishika Adhikar Mancha, a group representing the “untainted” teachers who were affected by the Supreme Court’s order.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, asking for her support to save the jobs of thousands of school teachers in West Bengal.
These teachers are at risk of losing their livelihoods after the Supreme Court cancelled their appointments due to serious irregularities found in the selection process by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC).
Rahul Gandhi’s letter came after he met members of the Shishak Shishika Adhikar Mancha, a group representing the “untainted” teachers who were affected by the Supreme Court’s order.
What Did the Supreme Court Say?
Recently, the Supreme Court agreed with a Calcutta High Court decision that cancelled the appointments of more than 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff selected by the SSC in 2016. The court found that the recruitment process had been affected by “manipulation and fraud”.
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and also comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar has directed the West Bengal government to initiate a fresh recruitment process within three months, after finding that the 2016 SSC recruitment was tainted by large-scale irregularities.
The apex court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s decision to scrap the previous appointments, citing corruption and procedural lapses.
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Key Takeaways from the Supreme Court Judgment:
- The top court declared that all 25,753 (rounded to 26,000) jobs awarded under the 2016 SSC panel are cancelled, calling the recruitment process “rigged.”
- A fresh recruitment must be conducted within three months, and eligible candidates from the cancelled panel may apply again.
- Those who had left previous government jobs to join through the 2016 panel may return to their old posts if they choose.
- The bench noted that due to missing OMR sheets and answer scripts, it was impossible to distinguish deserving candidates from those who obtained jobs fraudulently.
- The 2016 recruitment was marred by serious allegations of bribery, manipulated ranks, and illegal appointments. Probes revealed shocking cases where candidates submitted blank answer sheets but were still selected.
- The Calcutta High Court had annulled the entire recruitment process in its April 2024 ruling and ordered that terminated employees return their salaries with 12% interest.
- Both the West Bengal government and affected candidates challenged this verdict in the Supreme Court. Although the apex court had stayed the High Court’s order in May 2023, it ultimately agreed with the findings after hearings concluded in February 2024. The court placed strong reliance on the CBI’s evidence of corruption.
Although the court did mention that some teachers were selected fairly, the cancellation order applied to everyone—both those selected through “fair means” and those who got the job through “unfair means”.
Rahul Gandhi strongly objected to this blanket removal of all teachers. In his letter to the President, he said:
“Any crime committed during recruitment should be condemned, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. However, treating teachers selected through fair means on par with tainted teachers is a serious injustice.”
He explained that many of these teachers have been working honestly for nearly 10 years and have not done anything wrong. Terminating their services will affect not only their lives but also lakhs of students in West Bengal.
“Terminating them will force lakhs of students into classrooms without adequate teachers. Their arbitrary termination will destroy their morale and motivation to serve and deprive their families of what is often the sole source of income,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi also reminded President Murmu of her background as a teacher and appealed to her to show sympathy and take necessary steps to protect the honest teachers:
“Any crime committed during recruitment should be condemned, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. However, treating teachers selected through fair means on par with tainted teachers is a serious injustice.”
“Terminating them will force lakhs of students into classrooms without adequate teachers. Their arbitrary termination will destroy their morale and motivation to serve and deprive their families of what is often the sole source of income,”
He requested the President to urge the central government to make sure that teachers who were selected through a proper and honest process are allowed to keep their jobs.
In 2016, over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the selection test conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission for 24,640 vacancies. However, 25,753 appointment letters were issued. This led to allegations that extra posts were created illegally by the state government.
The Supreme Court said that the entire recruitment process was “vitiated by manipulation and fraud”. However, the court added that teachers not specifically found to be guilty or tainted will not be asked to return the salaries they have earned over the years.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also come out strongly in support of the teachers. She said she will fight to protect their jobs. She also called for the court to make clear who is innocent and who is guilty.
“The court must clarify who is deserving and who isn’t,” she said.
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