SC Stays CBI Probe Against 26,000 Bengal Govt Officials In Teacher Recruitment Scam

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Calcutta High Court's order directing the CBI to investigate the role of West Bengal government officials in an alleged teacher recruitment scam

Last week, the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the state's School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing the petitions filed by the State of West Bengal, the SSC and certain affected employees challenging the April 22 judgment delivered by the Calcutta High Court.

The bench, however, rejected the petitioners' plea to halt the High Court's directive of canceling appointments immediately, postponing the hearing to the following Monday, but it did grant a stay on the High Court's directive to the CBI for further investigation into the individuals implicated in the State Government's approval of supernumerary posts to accommodate illicit appointments.

Also, the bench postponed any potential custodial interrogation of such individuals until further notice.

"Look at how it's done...OMR sheet completely destroyed, mirror images not there, people not in the panel are recruited...this is a complete fraud," Livelaw quoted Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud as saying.

The Chief Justice asked whether it was possible to separate the untainted appointments given the destruction of the OMR sheets. "The question for all of you is to demonstrate that where on the basis of material available it is possible to segregate valid and invalid appointments and who are the beneficiaries of the fraud. 25000 is a big number. We see that 25,0000 jobs taken away is a serious thing. Unless we see that the entire thing is fraught with fraud..." CJI observed.

On April 24, the Calcutta High Court declared the selection process as "null and void" and directed the CBI to probe the appointment process. It had also asked the central agency to submit a report within three months.

"It is shocking that, at the level of the cabinet of the State Government, a decision is taken to protect employment obtained fraudulently in a selection process conducted by SSC for state-funded schools, knowing fully well that, such appointments were obtained beyond the panel and after expiry of the panel, at the bare minimum," the High Court had said.