‘Tainted staff list to be out before WBSSC opens new recruitment applications’

Kolkata: The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) will publish the list of “tainted” Group C and D employees before opening the online application portal for fresh recruitment on Monday, a senior official confirmed on Sunday.

The list, prepared in compliance with court directives, will name non-teaching staff whose appointments in the 2016 recruitment process were found to be irregular. “The list of tainted candidates from the 2016 recruitment will be released before the new application process begins. Whether it is published two hours or five hours earlier is immaterial, but it will definitely be made public on Monday,” the official said.

The Commission issued a notification on October 9 for recruitment to 8,477 non-teaching posts in government-aided and sponsored junior high, secondary and higher secondary schools across the state. Of these, 2,989 posts are for Group C (clerk) staff and 5,488 for Group D staff. The application window will open on Monday and remain active until 5 pm on 3 December. Officials anticipate a massive response, noting that over 18 lakh candidates had applied during the 2016 recruitment. Given the nine-year gap since the last recruitment drive, the number of applicants this time is expected to exceed 25 lakh.

The October notification also clarified that individuals identified as “tainted candidates” under the Supreme Court’s 3 April judgment and order will not be eligible to apply. The forthcoming list aims to ensure transparency in the recruitment process.

Earlier, the Supreme Court allowed “untainted” teachers from the 2016 recruitment—whose appointments were otherwise invalidated—to continue in service until December 31, 2025. No such relief was granted to non-teaching staff, with the court noting large-scale irregularities in Group C and D appointments.