NEW DELHI: “I will not allow eligible candidates to lose school jobs,” said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee during a meeting with the teachers who lost their jobs after the Supreme Court upheld Calcutta high court order to cancel the appointment of over 25,000 staff in state schools by the School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016.
Standing firm in her support for those affected by the verdict, Banerjee said that she is committed to ensure that deserving candidates do not lose their positions or face a break in service, “Please don’t think we’ve accepted the verdict,” Banerjee added.
Despite the challenges posed by the SC ruling, the chief minister assured that the state government has separate plans in place to address the situation with fairness and care.
She also emphasised her unwavering stance to restore the dignity of those who lost their jobs, even stating that she was ready to face any legal repercussions for her efforts to support the victims.
“We are not stone-hearted… I can even be jailed for saying this, but I don’t care,” Banerjee added, addressing a gathering of the terminated staff at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
The apex court on April 3 upheld the Calcutta high court’s order cancelling the appointments, calling the process “vitiated and tainted” by large-scale fraud and manipulation.
Reaffirming her stance from last week, Banerjee said: “I respect the judiciary but can’t accept the judgment.” Drawing a parallel to the Vyapam scam in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, she asked, “How many BJP leaders were arrested in MP? Why target Bengal?”
Accusing the BJP and central agencies of attempting to “collapse Bengal’s education system,” Banerjee said she would continue to support the affected candidates on humanitarian grounds. “Catch me if you’re ready,” she said. “Our lawyers are reviewing the judgment. I’m with the candidates… if BJP wants to jail me for that, so be it,” she had said earlier.
The Trinamool Congress accused BJP and CPM of trying to politically exploit the crisis. “There are inputs that provocateurs may try to disrupt the CM’s meet. This is a conspiracy to stop her from untangling the knots,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, referring to similar disruptions during Banerjee’s Oxford University visit.
The Supreme Court ruled that only candidates proven to have gained jobs through fraudulent means must be dismissed and return their salaries, while those untainted could retain theirs. It also allowed eligible individuals to return to prior government posts, if held.
The verdict came after reviewing over 120 petitions, including one by the Bengal government. The court noted tampered OMR sheets, appointments beyond sanctioned vacancies, and other irregularities. While 23 lakh candidates applied for 24,640 posts, over 25,700 appointment letters were issued.
TMC pointed out that during the CPM regime in Tripura, when 10,323 teachers lost their jobs, the party had urged courts not to penalise all for the fault of a few. “Now they are saying the opposite in Bengal,” Ghosh said, adding, “We won’t defend the undeserving, but we’ll always stand by the 20,000-odd who were fairly recruited.”
He also questioned the BJP’s silence on OMR sheets recovered from a trader’s rooftop in Ghaziabad. “Who is he?” Ghosh asked, hinting at a larger conspiracy.
