Bengal teachers’ recruitment case: Calcutta HC raises questions on investigation progress

The Calcutta High Court has raised serious questions about the ongoing investigation into the primary teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal. The court questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about when it expects to complete its probe into the corruption case involving thousands of teacher recruitments in state-run schools.

During the hearing, judges expressed their concern, stating that nobody knows when the investigation will be finished. They emphasized that until the probe is complete, it’s hard to determine which teachers were appointed lawfully and who might have got their jobs through corrupt means.

This case is also about the recent decision to cancel around 32,000 primary school teacher jobs. The court has been reviewing the case, which involves the West Bengal Primary Education Board and the state government. The issue raised is that the merit list used for appointments may not have been properly published.

Lawyer Soumya Majumdar, representing the petitioners, argued that the merit list was not published correctly, leading to confusion and errors that are hard to spot. Justice Chakraborty asked whether there were any specific rules for publishing such lists, but the lawyer responded that there were no strict rules. However, he suggested that a transparent, district-wise list indicating trained and untrained teachers, as well as caste, subject, and number-based details, should have been published.

The court highlighted that canceling the jobs of so many teachers will affect their families, especially since many have already worked for five years. The case has been ongoing for nearly two years, and the court expressed concern over the delays.

To explore possible solutions, the court scheduled the next hearing for September 11. The judges seemed eager to find alternatives that could lessen the impact on teachers while ensuring transparency and fairness in the recruitment process.