Today(on 7th May), Supreme Court calls West Bengal recruitment fraud “systemic deception,” urges digitized record-keeping for overseeing 25,753 staff appointments.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
NEW DELHI: Today(on 7th May), The Supreme Court of India has characterized the alleged recruitment fraud in West Bengal as a “systemic deception.” Emphasizing the necessity of maintaining digitized records, the court stressed that it falls upon the authorities to oversee the appointment process of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff.
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, reviewed a series of petitions challenging the April 22 decision of the Calcutta High Court, which invalidated the appointments of teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and state-aided schools of West Bengal.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Chandrachud expressed his concern over the scarcity of public jobs and the potential loss of public faith in the wake of such scams.
He stated-
“In today’s context where public employment opportunities are limited, preserving public trust is of utmost importance. The systemic fraud evident in these appointments not only compromises the integrity of the system but also poses a threat to public faith. Since public appointments play a crucial role in social mobility, any compromise in their credibility could result in a loss of faith and disrupt social harmony.”
The court’s statements emphasize the essential need to ensure integrity and transparency during the recruitment process,especially for coveted public positions.
The bench further questioned the state government regarding the availability of data and its efforts to maintain digitized records. It observed that the government had failed to demonstrate that the data was properly maintained by its authorities.
The court stated-
“Either you have the data or you don’t… It was your obligation to maintain the documents in digital format. Now, it’s apparent that the data is missing. You seem unaware that your service provider has contracted another agency. You were supposed to maintain supervisory control.”
The hearing on this matter is scheduled to resume at 2 pm, allowing both sides to present their arguments and provide further evidence. The case has garnered significant attention due to its implications on the education system and the trust of the public in the government’s recruitment processes.
ALSO READ: West Bengal Moves Supreme Court: “Why 24k School Job Appointments Were Cancelled?”
Earlier, the state government had appealed against the Calcutta High Court’s order, claiming that the cancellations of appointments were done arbitrarily.
