WB govt should take urgent steps to fill up invalidated posts in schools: CPI(M) on SC verdict

Kolkata: The CPI(M) on Thursday said the West Bengal government should take urgent steps to fill up the vacancies that have been created after the Supreme Court invalidated the jobs of nearly 26,000 teachers which, otherwise, would affect the state's education system.

Earlier in the day, the apex court in a judgement invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools, and termed the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted".

CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Mohammed Salim said that the education system in the state's schools will be affected since a large number of teachers lost their jobs.

Salim said that in keeping with the apex court direction the state government should take urgent steps to fill up the posts which have fallen vacant following the judgement.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments and ordering the Trinamool Congress-led state government to initiate a fresh selection process to be concluded within three months.

The CPI(M) leader claimed that the Mamata Banerjee government has tainted the education system in the state owing to the illegality in the appointment process.

Salim claimed that nearly one lakh people have been affected by the loss of jobs of almost 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff.

"It must be ascertained at whose fault such huge numbers of jobs have been lost," he said.

Maintaining that the CPI(M) has never claimed that all the appointees got their jobs by illegal means, Salim said that it is because of the corrupt practices of some people that everyone has been affected.

Salim alleged that documents had been deliberately destroyed owing to "certain vested interests", without taking recourse to segregation of those who got the jobs legally and those who obtained it illegally.