The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the appointment of nearly 26,000 teachers and staff in state-run and state-aided schools, calling the recruitment process “vitiated and tainted.”
The apex court’s ruling has dealt a severe blow to thousands of educators, many of whom had been protesting for months over irregularities in recruitment.
The verdict upheld a Calcutta High Court judgement from April 2024 that annulled the appointments, citing widespread corruption in the process.
BJP slams Mamata over ‘corrupt’ recruitment
State BJP president and Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, squarely blamed Banerjee for the crisis, stating, “The sole responsibility for this massive corruption in teacher recruitment lies with the failed Chief Minister of the state, @MamataOfficial. The Supreme Court’s verdict has made it clear how, under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, the merit of educated unemployed youth in West Bengal was sold in exchange for money!”
Majumdar insisted that the Chief Minister must accept responsibility and step down. “No more forgiveness,” he declared.
In a video posted on social media, Majumdar expressed solidarity with those who had secured their positions legitimately but found their jobs invalidated due to the state government’s alleged corruption. He accused Banerjee’s administration of failing to distinguish deserving candidates from those who secured employment through fraudulent means.
“The corrupt Mamata Banerjee government owes an explanation to the people of the state, particularly the families of the deserving teachers,” he added.
TMC's response
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen said the party respects the Supreme Court’s verdict but maintained that the government must now examine the ruling and take necessary legal steps.
“We hope that the state government will examine the order, the legal issues threadbare and take appropriate steps after speaking to legal experts. The party will always stand with the deserving candidates,” Sen stated.
Teachers left devastated
For the thousands affected by the ruling, the verdict came as a devastating blow. Many who had qualified for the 2016 recruitment examinations conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) had been staging sit-in protests for months, hoping for a judicial resolution in their favour.
“We lost all hope. We respect the order of the Supreme Court. But what is our fault? We had qualified the 2016 SSC exams. But due to corrupt practices of a section of the government that facilitated the appointment of some undeserving candidates, our whole world has come crashing down,” said a teacher who had been working in a state-aided school.
Another candidate lamented the loss of opportunity, pointing out that many affected individuals had now crossed the age limit for government job applications.
“We hear that we will be allowed to sit for SSC exams again. Had it been in 2016-17, we would have been enthused about the prospect and started afresh. But tell us, how would it be possible for us now when we have crossed the age limit of 30 years?” the candidate questioned.
SC orders fresh recruitment process
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar delivered the verdict, ruling that the dismissed employees would not be required to return the salaries they had earned.
The court directed the West Bengal government to initiate a fresh recruitment process within three months. However, it made an exception for disabled employees, allowing them to retain their jobs on humanitarian grounds.
The Supreme Court also scheduled a hearing for April 4 on the state government’s plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s directive for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.
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