Kolkata, India: The legal battle surrounding the employment status of 32,000 primary school teachers in West Bengal is set to resume, with the Calcutta High Court scheduling a fresh hearing for the upcoming Monday, April 28. The case, which involves the state government’s appeal against the mass termination order, will now be presided over by a bench led by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty.
New Bench Assigned After Delay
This development follows a recent delay in proceedings. The matter was previously scheduled for April 7th but was postponed when Justice Soumen Sen recused himself from the case due to personal reasons. Consequently, the responsibility was transferred to Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, who subsequently assigned the case to the new bench.
Controversy Stems from 2014 TET
The controversy originates from the 2014 Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). Appointments based on this test were made to state-run primary schools in 2016. However, significant allegations of widespread irregularities and potential corruption surfaced regarding the recruitment process, leading to prolonged legal challenges.
In a significant ruling in May 2023, then-Calcutta High Court Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered the cancellation of the appointments of all 32,000 teachers implicated in the allegedly flawed process. The West Bengal state government swiftly challenged this decision, taking the matter to a division bench, which is now set to hear the appeal on April 28th.
Broader Context: Related Cases and SSC Ruling
This case is unfolding amidst a larger context of scrutiny over recruitment practices in the state’s education sector. In a related but separate instance concerning the publication of a panel for 42,000 candidates, an order by Justice Amrita Sinha is currently stayed by the Supreme Court.
Furthermore, the nation’s apex court recently delivered a landmark judgment upholding the cancellation of 25,735 jobs related to the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment, also stemming from the contentious 2016 appointment drive. The Supreme Court effectively validated Justice Gangopadhyay’s earlier stance (Justice Gangopadhyay has since resigned and is now a BJP Member of Parliament), nullifying the entire SSC recruitment panel.
The Supreme Court reasoned that because it was impossible to clearly distinguish between genuinely appointed candidates and those who secured jobs through irregular means, the entire panel had to be invalidated. The ruling mandated that individuals deemed ineligible must return their salaries, and directed the state government to initiate a completely new recruitment process within the current year.
Dismissed Teachers Voice Anguish Through Protests
These judicial actions have resulted in significant unrest, with large numbers of individuals who lost their jobs staging protests. Many affected former employees are holding sit-in demonstrations in Kolkata, asserting they obtained their positions legitimately and questioning why they should face consequences for systemic failures.
The scheduling of the April 28th hearing brings renewed attention to the primary teachers’ case, marking a potentially pivotal moment in one of the most high-profile and impactful legal disputes within West Bengal’s education system.
