SC sends back Bengal teacher hiring pleas to Calcutta High Court

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that all issues related to the West Bengal school teacher recruitment scandal be heard by the Calcutta High Court, while making it clear that candidates who had been found 'tainted' earlier should not be permitted into the fresh selection process.

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe observed that the top court had been monitoring the compliance with its earlier judgment, but since the High Court was already examining the recruitment process in great detail, it was fitting that the state court play the role of the first-instance court.

"The High Court shall ensure that none of the tainted candidates are allowed to slip through in the fresh selections, be it on any pretext. The High Court shall also ensure that the list of tainted candidates is placed in the public domain with full details," the Supreme Court said.

The West Bengal School Service Commission, earlier this week, came out with a fresh comprehensive list of 1,806 'tainted' teachers who had been recruited earlier through the State Level Selection Test conducted in 2016.

Many petitioners had sought to withdraw their appeals from the Supreme Court to approach the High Court directly. The bench allowed these withdrawals and dismissed the petitions with liberty to move the state court.

For remaining petitions, the delays were condoned and all issues were ultimately referred to the Calcutta High Court.

The Supreme Court also reminded the High Court that candidates previously found untainted in the 2016 recruitment exercise must be allowed to appear in the fresh exams, and their prospects cannot be affected by the new rules framed for teacher appointments in 2025.

"The unblemished candidates of the past selection were permitted to sit for the selection tests to be held afresh and their candidature cannot be adversely affected by application of the new rules," it said. The bench left the interpretative questions arising out of its earlier judgments to the High Court while disposing of all pending petitions and applications at the Supreme Court level. With this, the Calcutta High Court now has full authority to conduct a comprehensive review of the recruitment process while ensuring transparency and fairness.