WBBSE approaches SC seeking modification in order terminating 25,753 school jobs

Kolkata, April 7 (IANS) West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) on Monday approached the Supreme Court seeking a modification to its earlier order cancelling 25,753 appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

The apex court’s Division Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI), Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, recently upheld an earlier order by the Calcutta High Court’s Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi cancelling 25,753 appointments made by the WBSSC.

In the petition, the WBBSE has stated that till the time the fresh recruitment process as directed by the court last week is completed, those candidates who have been identified as “genuine” should be allowed to attend to their duties.

However, there is confusion on this particular plea by the Board since the apex court last week accepted the earlier observation by the Calcutta High Court that all the 25,753 appointments had to be cancelled because of the failure of the state government/commission to segregate genuine candidates from the tainted ones who allegedly got jobs by paying money.

Even Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, questioned the basis on which the state government derived the number of genuine candidates.

He said that the state government should furnish at the apex court two lists, one of genuine candidates and the other of tainted ones along with relevant details.

“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee often claims to be a lawyer. So I request her to personally appear in the apex court while making a review petition of the order and submit the lists of ‘genuine’ and ‘tainted’ candidates to the court,” he said.

Earlier in the day, while addressing a meeting with job-losers at Netaji Indoor Stadium in central Kolkata, CM Mamata Banerjee claimed that the state government would seek clarifications from the apex court on the exact division in genuine and tainted candidates.

She also said that the state government would seek clarifications from the apex court on what needs to be done with the existing teachers till the time the fresh recruitment process starts through examinations.

At the meeting, CM Banerjee also asked those hit by the apex court’s ruling to give voluntary service at their respective schools during the interim period.

--IANS

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