Kolkata, Nov 27 (IANS): The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on Thursday made public the complete list of “tainted” teachers from its 2016 recruitment panel — individuals conclusively found to have secured teaching posts in government schools by paying bribes.
The list was uploaded on the commission’s official website in compliance with orders from both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court, which directed the WBSSC to ensure that none of these teachers are ever considered for future recruitment in state-run schools.
In its April 3 ruling this year, the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta High Court Division Bench order cancelling the entire 2016 panel. The apex court had agreed with the High Court’s view that the entire list had to be scrapped because the state education department and the WBSSC repeatedly failed to produce separate lists distinguishing “untainted” candidates from those who had illegally secured jobs.
The Supreme Court also mandated that a full fresh recruitment process be completed by December 31, 2024, while barring all “tainted” candidates from taking part. “Untainted” candidates, however, were allowed to appear in the new selection process.
In September, the WBSSC conducted written exams for secondary and higher secondary teacher recruitment to fill the vacancies created after the panel’s cancellation. But controversy resurfaced when a petition was filed in the Calcutta High Court alleging that some “tainted” candidates had been allowed to take the higher secondary exam—and that a few had even qualified for interviews in violation of court orders.
Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court ordered the WBSSC to publish the full list of tainted candidates. After the matter reached the Supreme Court, the apex court upheld the directive, leading to Thursday’s publication.
