The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to cancel over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016, declaring the entire recruitment process "tainted" and lacking credibility.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar directed the state to conduct fresh recruitment within three months, emphasizing that the 2016 selection was marred by widespread irregularities. The court stated that it found no grounds to overturn the High Court’s ruling, which had scrapped the appointments due to corruption and procedural violations.
Key Highlights of the Judgment
- The Supreme Court ruled that all 25,753 (rounded to 26,000) jobs under the 2016 SSC panel stand cancelled, calling the process "rigged."
- A new hiring process must be completed within three months, with eligible candidates from the scrapped panel allowed to reappear.
- Employees who left prior government jobs to join through the 2016 recruitment may return to their former positions if they choose.
- The bench noted it was impossible to separate deserving candidates from those who secured jobs fraudulently due to missing original OMR sheets and answer scripts.
The SSC 2016 recruitment faced allegations of bribery, rank manipulation, and appointments without proper examinations. Investigations revealed instances where candidates submitted blank answer sheets yet secured jobs. The Calcutta High Court, in its April 2024 verdict, had annulled the entire process, ordering terminated employees to refund salaries with 12% interest.
The West Bengal government and affected candidates appealed to the Supreme Court, which initially stayed the High Court's order in May 2023. However, after the hearings concluded in February 2024, the apex court concurred with the High Court's findings, citing the CBI's evidence of corruption.
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