SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS CALCUTTA HIGH COURT VERDICT INVALIDATING 25,753 TEACHER AND STAFF APPOINTMENTS IN WEST BENGAL
The Supreme Court has upheld the Calcutta High Court’s ruling that invalidates the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal’s state-run and state-aided schools, citing serious irregularities in the recruitment process.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar delivered the verdict, confirming that manipulations had compromised the integrity of the entire selection process. The ruling, which was reserved on February 10, 2025, and announced today, reaffirms the Calcutta High Court’s April 2024 decision that annulled these appointments.
The case pertains to the 2016 recruitment conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC), in which 23 lakh candidates competed for 24,640 vacancies. However, irregularities such as tampering with OMR sheets and rank-jumping resulted in 25,753 appointment letters being issued—far exceeding the official vacancies.
Despite petitions challenging the High Court’s verdict, including from the West Bengal government, the Supreme Court found the recruitment process to be fundamentally flawed. The court ruled that all appointments made through this tainted process would be terminated. However, affected individuals will not be required to return salaries or benefits already received.
Additionally, those appointed outside officially recognized vacancies or beyond the recruitment date must return all received remunerations with 12% interest, as per the Calcutta High Court’s directive.
The Supreme Court has also allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to continue probing the recruitment irregularities. The CBI’s investigation, which commenced in May 2024, remains ongoing and may result in further legal consequences for those involved in the alleged manipulations.
