Calcutta High Court to Hear Appeals in Mass Teacher Termination Case

The Calcutta High Court will start hearing appeals from May 7 regarding the termination of 32,000 primary school teachers in West Bengal. The initial court order had canceled their appointments due to incomplete training at recruitment. A division bench had stayed the termination until further hearings.

The Calcutta High Court announced it will review appeals starting May 7 concerning the termination of around 32,000 primary school teachers' jobs in West Bengal. This decision follows an earlier order that revoked the teachers' appointments due to incomplete training during their recruitment in 2016 based on the 2014 Teacher Eligibility Test.

A single bench led by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had issued the termination order in May 2023, prompting appeals from the West Bengal Board of Primary Education and others, including a group of affected teachers. A division bench, assigned by the chief justice, temporarily halted the termination as the case proceeds further.

The appeals were sent back to the high court by the Supreme Court after documents, crucial to the original ruling, were allegedly not disclosed to involved parties. Advocate General Kishore Dutta offered to provide the necessary documentation upon request, while different sections of teachers continue to challenge the validity of the initial verdict.

(With inputs from agencies.)