In the 2016 teacher recruitment scam, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking the release of 22 lakh OMR sheets. Justice Sanjay Kumar’s Bench said such disclosure is not mandatory, creating uncertainty for disqualified teachers.
In an important ruling regarding the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment corruption case, the Supreme Court has dismissed a plea to release 2.2 million OMR sheets.
This decision, made by Justice Sanjay Kumar’s bench, raises new uncertainties for teachers who lost their positions in the 2016 recruitment process.
The verdict marks a significant turning point with wide-reaching implications.
The case has been ongoing since corruption allegations emerged during the 2016 SSC recruitment.
Following a Calcutta High Court order, around 26,000 teachers had their jobs terminated, leading the matter to the Supreme Court. The petitioners sought the publication of the OMR sheets to distinguish between eligible and ineligible candidates.
However, the Supreme Court has rejected this request, with Justice Sanjay Kumar stating that the case has been pending for an extended period and has undergone multiple reviews.
The court concluded that there is no necessity to publish the OMR sheets at this stage.
In the judge’s words,
“This matter has been hanging fire for long enough, and all attempts have been made to address it.”
The Supreme Court also pointed out that numerous previous applications, review petitions, and other requests regarding job cancellations have already been denied.
Consequently, the court found no justification for further intervention. It advised the petitioners to seek clarification from the High Court rather than approaching the Supreme Court directly.
The case was dismissed at the admission stage, and the judge suggested that the petitioners withdraw their case. This effectively closes the door on the possibility of differentiating eligible candidates by publishing the OMR sheets for the time being.
This Supreme Court ruling has cast further uncertainty on the future of the 2016 SSC job aspirants. With the OMR sheets not being published, the process of identifying eligible candidates has become increasingly complex.
The next steps for these aspirants will likely involve pursuing their concerns through the High Court, as suggested by the court.
This ruling is expected to cause imporatnat discussions in both state politics and the education sector.