WBSSC job case: Calcutta HC refuses to entertain plea from 'tainted' candidates

Kolkata, May 28 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea from "tainted" teachers who have lost jobs in state government-run schools, following a Supreme Court order last month.

The main contention of the plea was that although the apex court gave a chance to teachers who have been identified so far as "untainted" or "genuine" to appear for fresh recruitment examination, the same chance was not given to those identified as "tainted" of allegedly getting jobs through unfair means like rank-jumps, manipulation in optical mark recognition sheets, and out-of-the-panel recruitments.

Those "tainted" teachers contended that although the apex court allowed payment of salaries till December 31 to those teachers who have been identified so far as "untainted" or "genuine", the same benefit would not be applicable for teachers identified so far as "tainted".

These “tainted” teachers approached the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday seeking the court’s intervention on these issues. However, the single-judge bench of Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee refused to entertain the plea.

He observed that since the Supreme Court gave clear directions on this issue and since the matter is still pending at the apex court, his bench would not take up the matter for hearing. Earlier, these “tainted” teachers also approached the apex court with a similar plea, which got rejected there as well. Now, with the Calcutta High Court also refusing to entertain their plea, these “tainted” teachers are left with no other legal option.

The development happened just a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, announced that the West Bengal School Service Commission’s (WBSSC) notification for fresh recruitments to vacant posts in state-run schools will be issued on May 30.

She also stated that even the "untainted" teachers who had lost their jobs following a Supreme Court order in the cash-for-job case will have to appear for the written examination for recruitment.

On April 3, a Supreme Court Bench, upholding the Calcutta High Court order, which annulled 25,753 school appointments made through the WBSSC, also directed the state government to start a fresh recruitment process by issuing notifications or advertisements by May 31.

---IANS

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