Apex Court clears deck to appoint about 14K upper primary teachers
Kolkata: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday dismissed the case challenging the Calcutta High Court’s (HC) Division Bench’s order allowing the recruitment of nearly 14,000 Upper Primary teachers.
The recruitment process for assistant teachers at the upper primary level in state-run schools, which had been stalled for nearly a decade due to legal challenges, was given a green signal by a Division Bench of the Calcutta HC on August 28.
The Division Bench, comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, directed the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to prepare and publish the final merit list. The court also instructed the commission to conduct fresh counselling for the 14,052 candidates and to recommend them within specific timelines.
Two cases challenging this order were filed in the Supreme Court which heard them on Friday. The bench, comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, decided not to intervene, dismissing the Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) and thereby allowing the recruitment to proceed without further legal hindrance.
The order by the Supreme Court read: “We are not inclined to entertain the Special Leave Petition under Article 136 of the Constitution. The Special Leave Petition is accordingly dismissed. Pending application, if any, stands disposed of.”
Following the Calcutta High Court’s directives, the WBSSC had already initiated the counselling process before the Durga Puja vacation, and one candidate had received the appointment letter and joined a school prior to the start of the vacation.
This raised hopes for the remaining candidates on the merit list, who were worried about the outcomes of the pending cases in the Supreme Court. Friday’s ruling provided them relief.
“We are relieved and very happy. After years of legal complications, we can finally move forward with the recruitment process unhindered by legal barriers,” stated Sushanta Ghosh, president of ‘Paschim Banga Upper Primary Chakriparthi Mancha’.
