Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy urges the Supreme Court to reconsider the dismissal of teachers with clean records. CJI Gavai says the review plea will be listed ahead of new recruitment in September.
New Delhi: On July 2, in a recent development in the ongoing West Bengal teachers’ recruitment case, Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy appeared before the Supreme Court, drawing attention to a fresh petition filed seeking a review of the apex court’s earlier judgment.
The original judgment had upheld the Calcutta High Court’s order that nullified the appointments of over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff recruited by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).
Appearing for a group of teachers affected by the judgment, Guruswamy pointed out that the petition specifically focuses on those teachers who were recruited for Classes 9 to 12 and had no allegations of wrongdoing against them.
She argued that despite having “clean records,” these teachers lost their jobs solely because of the Supreme Court’s directions that followed the Calcutta High Court’s findings of widespread irregularities in the recruitment process.
“Our focus is on the unaffected teachers from Classes 9 to 12. Despite their clean records, they were dismissed following this Court’s directives. With new recruitment set to begin in September, we have filed this review petition,”
said Guruswamy, highlighting the urgency of the situation as the West Bengal government is planning to initiate a new round of recruitment in the coming month.
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Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, acknowledging the submission, responded briefly by stating,
“The matter will be listed for circulation.”
This indicates that the review petition will soon be circulated among the judges to decide whether it deserves a full hearing.
This review petition brings a new dimension to the legal saga involving the WBSSC recruitment scam, which has been mired in controversy over allegations of corruption, favouritism, and procedural lapses.
The Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel the entire batch of appointments was seen as a bold step towards ensuring accountability. However, it also triggered concerns about collateral damage to genuinely qualified candidates who were not involved in any irregularities.
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