Teachers' hiring scam: West Bengal govt moves to SC after 24,000 jobs sacked; What is the scam all about?

The West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court two days after the High Court released the order cancelling appointments of 24,000 teachers and non-teaching staff throughout West Bengal.

The Calcutta High Court declared the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) recruitment procedure "null and void" on Monday. The court had thus ordered the cancellation of all appointments made through the procedure in the government-sponsored and aided institutions in the East-Indian state.

What is the West Bengal teachers' hiring scam all about?

The West Bengal teachers' hiring scam revolved around the selection process for assistant teachers for classes 9th-10th and 11th-12th and Group C (clerks) and D posts in the state. Candidates had to undergo a teacher eligibility test (TET), an interview, and a personality test. The selection of the teachers was based on a combination of their TET scores, academic marks, interview performance, and personality test results.

Now, controversy ignited when the School Service Commission (SSC) issued appointment letters based on recommendations from the state-level selection test (SLST) panel. However, some discrepancies were found later. Candidates who did not appear on the SLST panel were reportedly receiving appointment letters, leading to suspicions of foul play.

A committee appointed by the Calcutta High Court found irregularities in the selection process, including manipulating candidate rankings and issuing appointment letters beyond the panel's validity. Subsequently, the High Court ordered a CBI inquiry, which revealed unauthorised identification of teaching vacancies, wrong recommendations and tampering with answer scripts.

The High Court directed the CBI to investigate further, including matching OMR hard disks with the SSC database after the original OMR sheets were reportedly destroyed. Moreover, the High Court struck down the state government's attempt to address the issue by creating supernumerary posts for genuine candidates.

The exact number of illegal appointees could not be determined, leading the High Court to order continued investigation by the CBI. 

What is the state government saying?

West Bengal's government claimed that the High Court cancelled the appointments arbitrarily, based on oral comments and without any affidavit on record.

The state administration further claimed that the High Court abruptly terminated the whole selection process without allowing the government any time to cope with the current education system or make any required plans and changes.

The government also raised eyebrows at the court's decision to ask for a fresh selection process within two weeks of the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results.