The Court Declares No Interference in the Recruitment Process; Kolkata High Court’s Directive Prevails
The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge against the appointment of over 14,000 vacancies in primary education, affirming that the recruitment process will proceed as per the Kolkata High Court’s directive. The ruling was delivered by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, clarifying that the apex court would not interfere in the ongoing recruitment procedure.
Previously, the Kolkata High Court had issued an order for the appointment of these vacancies, which some candidates, including Rajiv Brahma, challenged in the Supreme Court, arguing that the directive violated reservation policies. This challenge had created new hurdles in the recruitment process, but the Supreme Court’s decision has resolved the issue.
During the hearing on Friday, Chief Justice Chandrachud stated that the appointments would be made in accordance with the Kolkata High Court’s ruling. He emphasized that there are no obstacles to issuing appointment letters and that the Supreme Court would refrain from intervening in the recruitment process.
On August 28, the Kolkata High Court’s division bench, comprising Justices Tapos Brata Chatterjee and Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, ruled that the School Service Commission must publish a new merit list. The recruitment process, based on this merit list, would enable counseling for job appointments. This ruling allowed the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to initiate the recruitment process after nearly eight years, as the procedure had been stalled since 2015 due to various legal challenges.
Kalyan Banerjee, a TMC MP who represented the recruitment advocates, was present during the hearings in both the High Court and the Supreme Court. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, he remarked, “The Supreme Court’s oral observation indicated that there should not be repeated interference in a recruitment process that has been ongoing since 2016. This ruling effectively nullifies the conspiracies of the Left and BJP.”
With the Supreme Court’s latest ruling, the recruitment process is set to resume, bringing hope to numerous candidates who have been awaiting employment opportunities in the primary education sector for years.