Darjeeling, India: In a major development for the education sector in North Bengal, all government and government-aided schools in the Darjeeling district have been shut down indefinitely starting today. This decision by the Secondary Teachers’ Association comes as a direct response to a landmark verdict delivered yesterday by the Calcutta High Court, which invalidated the appointments of 313 teachers in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) region.
High Court Verdict: “Illegal Regularization”
On Wednesday, Justice Biswajit Basu quashed the recruitment of 313 “volunteer” teachers, describing the 2019 regularization process as “fraudulent” and “legally unsustainable.” The court observed that these appointments were made in gross violation of statutory norms, noting that several candidates lacked the mandatory B.Ed. qualifications at the time of their recruitment.
The case, which has previously seen names like former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, hill leader Binay Tamang, and TMC youth leader Trinankur Bhattacharya embroiled in controversy, has now been handed over to the CID for further investigation. The judge questioned why the state exchequer should bear the burden of salaries for illegally appointed staff and ordered an immediate halt to their pay.
Uproar in the Hills: Schools Grind to a Halt
The Secondary Teachers’ Association reacted sharply to the verdict, alleging that for the past 25 years, recruitment in the hills has bypassed all established regulations. Association representatives stated that the strike is a protest against a system that allowed “volunteers” to take classes for decades without a transparent hiring process.
The sudden closure has sent shockwaves through the region:
Exams Disrupted: Schools that were currently conducting examinations or scheduled to release results have been locked down.
Academic Paralysis: The strike is expected to severely impact thousands of students across Darjeeling, Kurseong, and Kalimpong.
Reactions from Key Stakeholders
The GTA’s Defense
The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) expressed disappointment with the mass termination. During the legal proceedings, the GTA argued that the 2019 regularizations were a necessity born out of the “volatile political situation” in the hills, which made standard recruitment impossible. They maintained that the teachers were serving in schools that urgently needed manpower, though the court ultimately rejected this “necessity” plea.
Petitioner’s Legal Counsel
The legal counsel for the petitioners hailed the verdict as a victory for “merit and transparency.” Senior advocates representing the deprived candidates argued that the GTA and the State School Education Department had effectively operated a “backdoor entry” system. They emphasized that the court’s decision to continue the CID probe is essential to unearthing the full scale of the recruitment scam in the hill areas.
Unrest Spreads to North Bengal University
While the hills face a school shutdown, North Bengal University (NBU) remains paralyzed for the fourth consecutive day. Members of the Sara Bangla Trinamool Shikshabandhu Samiti have locked the administrative buildings, demanding the release of the 4% Dearness Allowance (DA) announced by the state in April.
The deadlock at NBU has left research scholars unable to submit scholarship forms and graduates unable to collect essential certificates.
Combined with the school strike in Darjeeling, the educational infrastructure of North Bengal currently faces one of its most significant crises in recent years.