New Delhi, April 18, 2025: In a significant relief to thousands of school teachers in West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Thursday allowed those not identified as “tainted” or disqualified to return to their schools. The directive came in response to a fresh plea from the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, which had argued that the sudden termination of over 25,000 teaching jobs could destabilize the state’s education system.
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s bench ruled that teachers from Classes IX-X and XI-XII, who were not involved in any form of irregularity or corruption, may continue their duties until the new recruitment process concludes.
📅 Court-Mandated Deadlines for State Government:
The Government of West Bengal and the School Service Commission (SSC) must submit an affidavit by May 31, confirming that the new recruitment notification has been issued.
The entire recruitment process, including examinations, must be completed by December 31, 2025.
If these conditions are not met, the court reserves the right to revoke this interim relief.
⚠️ Who’s Included and Who’s Not:
This interim order does not apply to:
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Group C and Group D staff, who remain under earlier court directives.
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Those explicitly identified as tainted or disqualified, whose appointments were marked by rank manipulation, OMR tampering, or fraudulent panel placements.
📜 Background: On April 3, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld an earlier Calcutta High Court order, cancelling the entire 2016 SSC recruitment panel due to widespread irregularities and corruption. As a result, 25,735 appointments were terminated, and affected individuals were ordered to refund their salaries.
The Board, citing educational disruption, highlighted that the judgment would affect 9,487 secondary and 6,952 higher secondary schools, leading to a massive teacher shortage. Hence, the plea requested permission for non-tainted individuals to continue teaching until fresh recruitments are completed.
The court has now conditionally agreed, marking a turning point in the ongoing SSC recruitment controversy in West Bengal.
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