Cal HC dismisses appeals over school jobs recruitment rules, allows holding of selection process

Kolkata, Jul 14 (PTI) A division bench of the Calcutta High Court Wednesday allowed a selection process for teachers in West Bengal government-run and -aided schools.

The division dismissed appeals by a few candidates against a single bench order which did not entertain their challenge to some provisions of the recruitment rules of 2025 by the School Service Commission.

The judgment in the four appeals was reserved on Monday after arguments by the parties concluded before a division bench presided by Justice Soumen Sen.

The petitioners challenged before the single bench certain provisions of the rules of 2025 relating to fixation of minimum marks in graduation/post-graduation level to adjudge eligible candidates to participate in the selection process, and changing the pattern of allotment of marks.

The division bench, also comprising Justice Smita Das De, dismissed the appeals by the candidates.

The dismissal of the appeals allows the state government and the West Bengal Central School Service Commission to proceed with the selection process for school teachers.

Advocate General Kishore Dutta, representing the state government, had stated before the bench that the notification for the recruitment of teachers was as per the modern-day requirement and the benefit of students.

He had stated that the notification published on May 30 for the recruitment of teachers for West Bengal government-sponsored and -aided schools was in accordance with law.

As per the court's direction, the state government, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the SSC had on Monday produced before it the copies of the affidavits filed before the Supreme Court in the school jobs case, in which nearly 26,000 jobs were annulled on account of a tainted selection process. PTI AMR NN