School appointment: Cal HC asks arrested TMC leader's daughter, 5 others to appear before it

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed Sukanya Mondal, daughter of arrested TMC leader Anubrata Mondal, to appear before it on Thursday in connection with an allegation that she and five others were appointed in primary schools without having cleared Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET).

The petitioner has alleged that some people closely related to Anubrata Mondal, who is also the chairman of West Bengal Rural Development Authority, have been given jobs as teachers, including Sukanya, who never visited Kalikapur Primary School in Birbhum, where she was employed.

In the affidavit, the petitioner claimed that the school attendance register was sent to Sukanya's residence for her signature.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay directed six persons named in the affidavit to appear personally on Thursday before the court with their TET certificate and their appointment letter. ''If anybody fails to appear, as has been directed above, the court will not hesitate to take harsh steps against them,'' he directed.

Justice Gangopadhyay had earlier ordered CBI investigation in a number of cases of alleged irregularities in appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and -aided schools in the state.

Mondal was arrested by the CBI last week in a cattle smuggling case.