Edu Min: Oppn trying to stall SSC recruitment process before polls
Kolkata: Reiterating that the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBCSSC) is prepared to present its case before the High Court and give “solidarity and honest opportunity” to deserving candidates, state Education minister Bratya Basu on Thursday alleged that the Opposition is trying to derail the teacher-recruitment process ahead of the Assembly elections to prevent the Trinamool Congress from gaining any political advantage.
“The Opposition may have political motives; their intention may be to topple the Trinamool Congress from power. However, as per Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s directions, the state government along with the SSC will ensure that recruitment is conducted with 100 per cent transparency,” Basu said. He said the SSC will publish the list in compliance with the Supreme Court’s (SC) direction that the recruitment process must be completed by December 31. “WBCSSC has introduced several measures—OMR carbon copies, model answers with scope for challenges, detailed results and break-up of marks—to maximise transparency. I am confident no SSC in the country has conducted examinations with the level of transparency that ours has. We are optimistic the SSC will complete recruitment by December 31,” he added.
Basu referred to Wednesday’s SC hearing, during which the bench made two observations but did not pass a formal order. The bench said the recruitment ordered because of irregularities in the 2016 SLST should have been conducted separately and not combined with the vacancies created for the 2025 cycle. It further observed that once a candidate is found “tainted”, disability status does not change that finding, and the earlier bar on tainted candidates appearing in the fresh selection test continues to apply. The revised test must be completed by December 31, 2025. Responding to the court’s decision to transfer all SSC-related matters back to the Calcutta High Court for a final decision, Basu said: “It has been clarified that no one should pose any hurdle in the recruitment process. Leave it to the SSC to decide how they proceed. There is a difference between an observation and a verdict. Is there any specific verdict by the Supreme Court? The answer is no.”
The Supreme Court also underscored that not a single “tainted” candidate should receive an appointment, even if the person is specially abled. When asked why a specially abled but “tainted” candidate figured in the interview list, Basu said, “It was the SSC’s decision.” Reiterating the government’s support for “eligible” dismissed candidates, Basu said he had spoken to the Chief Minister, who assured that no eligible candidate would lose their job. “Once the process is completed, the government will also consider increasing the number of vacancies,” he said. According to the minister, unprecedented litigations are being filed, yet no adverse court order exists. “The Hon’ble Supreme Court has only transferred petitions to the High Court and hasn’t restricted the exam or questioned the new Recruitment Rules. Some narratives circulating are misleading,” he added.
