Supreme Court Stays Cancellation of Teacher Appointments in West Bengal

May 7, 2024: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday stayed a Calcutta High Court order that had canceled the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in government and government-aided schools in the state. The High Court had earlier quashed the appointments, terming them corrupt.

High Court's Order:

• The Calcutta High Court had on April 2 canceled these appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016, declaring them to be tainted by corruption.

• The court had observed that "unfair means" had been used in these recruitments instead of merit.

Supreme Court's Stance:

• The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the High Court's order to cancel these appointments.

• The court observed that it would not be appropriate to cancel all the appointments outright as some of them might be valid.

• The Supreme Court allowed the CBI to continue its probe into the scam and fixed the next hearing in the matter for July 31.

The Case:

• Allegations in the case are that some WBSSC officials had made these appointments by taking bribes.

• The CBI is investigating the matter and several arrests have also been made.

Impact of the Order:

• The Supreme Court's order has come as a relief to thousands of teachers and staff whose appointments had been canceled.

• However, the investigation in the matter is still ongoing and it remains to be seen what punishment the guilty will receive.