WBSSC to publish list of ‘tainted’ candidates today

Kolkata: The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) will publish on Saturday the list of “tainted” teachers and non-teaching staff recruited through the 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST), in compliance with a Supreme Court directive, officials confirmed.

WBSSC’s counsel informed the Supreme Court on Friday that the list would be uploaded the following day. A senior Commission official also told the media that the process of finalising the names was underway. “Our lawyers have already given an undertaking to the apex court about submitting the list of ‘tainted’ teachers. The process is in full swing. This much we can tell you,” the official said.

He also dismissed concerns about such individuals being issued admit cards for the upcoming SLST examinations, scheduled on September 7 and 14. “Our lawyers assured the court on record that not a single tainted candidate will be allowed to participate in the fresh recruitment process. We are ensuring full transparency,” the official added.

The WBSSC has made admit cards for the exams available for download on its website.

According to the Commission, out of 25,753 appointments invalidated by the Supreme Court’s April 3 verdict, 5,303 teachers and non-teaching staff were found to be tainted, including 1,803 teachers. The number of untainted teachers stands at 15,803.

The apex court on Friday dismissed pleas from aspirants seeking to reschedule the recruitment exams, reaffirming the September 7 and 14 dates. The online application portal, reopened on August 23 exclusively for untainted candidates, will remain active till September 2. Earlier, the court had permitted these candidates to continue in service until December 31, 2025.

On Thursday, the court had noted that despite the Calcutta High Court’s earlier direction, the tainted list had not yet been published.