Supreme Court Set to Rule on West Bengal Teachers' Appointment Controversy

The Supreme Court has reserved its judgement on appeals against the Calcutta High Court's ruling that invalidated the appointment of over 25,000 teachers and staff in West Bengal schools. The ruling cited irregularities like OMR sheet tampering in the appointment process, leading to a political scandal.

The Supreme Court on Monday reserved judgement over the controversial appointment of more than 25,000 teachers and staff in West Bengal's state-run and state-aided schools. This follows the Calcutta High Court's April 2024 decision citing irregularities in the recruitment process.

A bench, including Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, reviewed 124 petitions, some of which were filed by the West Bengal government itself. Senior advocates like Mukul Rohatgi and Abhishek Singhvi presented arguments in this politically high-stakes case.

The controversy revolves around alleged malpractice in the 2016 recruitment conducted by the state's school service commission, leading to what the Supreme Court previously labeled a 'systemic fraud.' With 23 lakh candidates for 24,640 posts, 25,753 appointment letters were surprisingly issued.