Court Nullifies 25,753 Teacher Jobs in Massive Recruitment Scam

 Court Nullifies 25,753 Teacher Jobs in Massive Recruitment Scam

Kolkata, West Bengal – In a landmark judgment that has sent shockwaves across the state, the Calcutta High Court has nullified the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff, citing widespread irregularities and corruption in the 2016 recruitment process. The decision comes after years of investigation into what has been dubbed the "West Bengal Teacher Recruitment Scam," a scandal involving an estimated 400 crore rupees.

The court's ruling follows a probe that uncovered massive manipulation of OMR sheets, illegal appointments, and evidence of bribes paid to secure government jobs.¹ The initial recruitment process, conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC), aimed to fill 24,640 positions, with over 2.3 million candidates appearing for the examination. However, the results sparked widespread protests and legal challenges, as discrepancies between merit lists and actual scores became apparent.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, and subsequently a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, ordered a CBI investigation, which revealed that original OMR sheets had been destroyed, and digital copies were missing from the SSC server. The investigation also implicated high-ranking officials, including former Education Minister Partho Chatterjee, whose close associate, Arpita Mukherjee, was found to possess crores of rupees in cash and assets.

The High Court's judgment, delivered on April 22, 2024, effectively terminated the employment of thousands, including many who were alleged to have paid substantial bribes to secure their positions. The ruling has thrown the lives of thousands of families into turmoil and raised serious questions about the integrity of the state's recruitment system.

The Supreme Court later intervened, upholding the High Court's decision on April 3, 2025, acknowledging the scale of the corruption.² However, the apex court ruled that the terminated employees would not be required to return their salaries. The Supreme Court also directed the state government to initiate a fresh recruitment process within three months to fill the vacant positions, with a specific provision to protect the jobs of specially-abled teaching and non-teaching staff on humanitarian grounds.³

The fallout from the scam has been immense, with protests erupting across the state.⁴ The scandal has not only resulted in job losses but also created a significant vacuum in the state's education system, with over 60,000 teacher positions remaining vacant. The incident has also shaken public trust in the government's ability to conduct fair and transparent recruitment processes.

The controversy has ignited a fierce debate about the future of government jobs in West Bengal and the need for stringent measures to prevent such corruption in the future. As the state grapples with the aftermath of this massive scandal, the focus now shifts to the implementation of the Supreme Court's directives and the restoration of public confidence in the recruitment system.