State govt prepares legal move to reinstate SSC-qualified teachers amid mass cancellation order
In a major development in the West Bengal teacher recruitment case, the state government is set to move forward with Plan ‘A’ today — an attempt to reinstate 19,296 eligible teachers whose appointments were not marked as “invalid” by the Supreme Court.
Earlier, in a landmark judgment, the apex court had cancelled the appointments of 25,572 teachers and non-teaching staff across government-aided and sponsored schools in West Bengal, citing widespread irregularities in the recruitment process conducted by the School Service Commission (SSC).
⚖️ Breakdown of the Court-Identified Irregularities
The Supreme Court specifically identified 6,276 candidates as “ineligible” due to various fraudulent means. Here’s how the irregularities were categorized:
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Out-of-panel recruitment – 1,498 candidates
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Rank-jump candidates – 926 candidates
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OMR tampering despite selection – 4,091 candidates
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Multiple irregularities (e.g., both OMR fraud and forged documents) – 239 candidates
📃 19,296 ‘Clean’ Candidates Identified
After the mass cancellation, the SSC and the state government came under immense pressure. CM Mamata Banerjee reportedly pushed for a strategy to save only the genuinely eligible candidates, rather than contesting the court’s cancellation of the entire panel.
As part of this strategy, the SSC has sent a fresh list via email to the Education Department, identifying 19,296 candidates who were not implicated in any proven malpractice. The list includes candidate names, school postings, and other relevant data.
According to sources, this is the state’s “Plan A” — the first of several legal strategies aimed at protecting deserving candidates.
👥 Education Dept. Verification & Court Submission
The Education Department has already begun verifying the SSC list, and the state is expected to submit it before the Supreme Court today, requesting the reinstatement of the eligible teachers.
A senior official confirmed, “The final decision will be taken in compliance with court orders and legal provisions. Necessary steps will follow after validation.”
🗓️ April 21 Deadline: Lists to be Published Soon
Last Friday, a delegation of affected candidates met Education Minister Bratya Basu, demanding the reinstatement of those who were not found guilty of any irregularity. Following that meeting, SSC Chairman confirmed that the commission is preparing separate lists of eligible and ineligible candidates, which are expected to be released by April 21, 2025, based on legal advice.