SSC hiring irregularities: HC orders state to stop salaries of about 542 staff

kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the state government to stop the salary of about 542 Group D staff of School Service Commission in the state-run secondary and higher secondary schools for recruitments made after May 24, 2019.

Earlier, the court had stopped the salaries of 25 Group D employees following irregularities in the recruitment process. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay pointed out that the recruitment process for SSC Group D post was completed on May 4, 2019. "If during the investigation, it is found that 542 Group D staff were recruited after May 4, 2019 then their salaries will be stopped," he observed.

A division bench, comprising Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Rabindranath Samanta, stayed the single bench's order on CBI probe into irregularities in non-Teaching staff appointments for three weeks.

The court directed the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) and state School Service Commission to submit in sealed documents related to the appointments to the Registrar General of the high court by the end of court hours.

In 2016, the state recommended the recruitment of about 13, 000 candidates as Group D workers. The Central School Service Commission conducted examinations and interviews periodically. Then a panel was created. The term of the panel ended in 2019. Allegedly, even after the expiration of the term of the panel, the Commission has made a lot of appointments.