'Being Punished For Govt's Corruption': Bengal Teachers After SC Scraps 26K Jobs

On 3 April, the top court scrapped the recruitment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff done by WBSSC in 2016.

The Quint speaks to the terminated teachers to understand the human cost of the top court's judgment and how a deep-rooted recruitment scam has robbed them of their livelihoods and pushed them into financial uncertainty.

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"Why are we in this situation? Who is responsible for the consequences we are facing? This is certainly not our fault, so why are we being made to suffer due to the state government's tainted mechanism? What about our families?”

These concerns were echoed by hundreds of teachers, who have taken to the streets in Kolkata, West Bengal after the Supreme terminated their jobs in government-run and government-aided schools.

Kakoli Hazra, like many others, was in school on 3 April, when the top court ruled that "the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution," and scrapped the recruitment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016.

In doing so, the apex court upheld the April 2024 ruling of the Calcutta High Court, which had cancelled the selection process after finding that the OMR answer sheets were tampered. The West Bengal government, led by Mamata Banerjee, had then challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.

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Hazra, who teaches in a school in Purba Medinipore told The Quint, "This verdict shattered us. It was inhumane. How can our government jobs just go like this when there's not a single allegation against us, no question of money or wrongdoing?" She demanded the government to release her OMR answer sheet.

Hazra has a child at home, who is suffering from a serious illness. She said that her treatment costs Rs 15,000-20,000 every month. “I have to take my child either to Vellore or Bengaluru for her treatment, what am I supposed to do now?” Hazra mourned. 

The Quint speaks to teachers, like Hazra, to understand the human cost of the top court's judgment and how a deep-rooted recruitment scam has robbed them of their livelihoods and pushed them into financial uncertainty.

'Thousands of Legitimate Candidates Hit Hard'

In 2016, WBSSC conducted the WBSLST 2016, which recruited nearly 26,000 candidates across West Bengal after a written examination, interviews, document verification. Soon after, however, allegations surfaced suggesting that some appointments were made through fraudulent means in exchange of heavy bribes. It involved manipulation of OMR sheets, rank jumping and panel recommendations.

But it is thousands of legitimate candidates who are bearing the brunt of the scam.

Even as the top court commanded a fresh rollout, WBBSC stated that this huge process cannot be completed within three months.

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"Although the Supreme Court has instructed us to begin the selection process to fill the vacancies, we require legal clarity on whether new candidates are also eligible to participate in the fresh examinations,” WBSSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumder told the media.

'Not Ready to Appear for Re-Exam': Teachers

However, many teachers asserted they won't sit for a re-exam and demanded the authority to conduct a re-evaluation based on their original OMR sheets.

"We are not ready to appear for the examination again. Our documentation was verified at least 22 to 25 times, from medical to police verification. What about that? The government should make all the data public,” said Ali, a school teacher, who has been travelling from Kharagpur to Kolkata for the last few days to participate in the protest.

Kaushik Pal, a high-school teacher from Purba Bardhaman, whose family of six is dependent solely on his earnings, now feels helpless and anxious.

"Why is WBSSC not publishing the OMR mirror image (a scanned digital copy of the physical OMR sheet)? It’s crystal clear that there is corruption, and releasing OMR sheets may bring out more hidden facts” Pal asserted, as he broke down.

'WBSSC Tried to Cover Up Illegalities by Not Maintaining OMR Sheets': SC

After allegations of corruption in WBSSC's recruitment process surfaced, the matter reached the Calcutta High Court, where Justice Abhijit Ganguly's bench directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the claims.

In September 2022, the WBSSC told the High Court that the original (physical) OMR sheets and their scanned copies had been destroyed one year after the results were declared as per rules.

However, while probing the case, CBI recovered data from an SSC vendor, Nysa Communications' office in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. It also seized WBSSC’s server database linked to the 2016 recruitment exams.

The CBI identified around 6,000 fraudulent candidates based on the mismatch between the OMR sheet evaluation and the marks as recorded by WBSSC in their database.

While the fraudulent appointees denied in court filling the OMR sheets, presented by CBI, the legitimate candidates candidates said their OMR sheets were genuine. The investigating agency submitted digital copies of 22 lakh scanned OMR sheets in three sealed hard disks to the High Court on 10 February 2024.

In its recent order, the Supreme Court observed that the "WBSSC initially did try and cover up the lapses and illegalities." The top court noted:

"The cover up itself has made the verification and ascertainment more difficult or rather impossible given the scale of camouflage and dressing up done at each stage. We are convinced that the entire selection process was intentionally compromised due to the illegalities involved."

'Reinstate Legitimate Teachers Constitutionally'

Meanwhile, 19,000 candidates, who had no allegations against them, continued their work as teachers. However, on 22 April 2024, the Division Bench of the High Court ruled that the entire recruitment panel was invalid despite the CBI identifying and segregating fraudulent candidates from legitimate ones.

"Our only demand is that WBSSC should make public the list of tainted and non-tainted candidates from our batch (2016), and the untainted ones should be reinstated in their earlier positions constitutionally,” Hazra asserted.

On Friday, 11 April, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and SSC officials met a delegation of 13 teachers. Post-meeting, Basu announced that the list of legitimate and fraudulent appointees will be uploaded on SSC’s website by 21 April in accordance with legal procedures. He clarified that it is the same list that was submitted three times to the Calcutta High Court as well as the Supreme Court.

On 13 April, WBSSC has sent a list of tainted and untainted candidates to the state education department.

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Several teachers, however, expressed their concerns over this move not helping them in any way.

“The Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court have both declared the entire panel of 2016 invalid. Then what’s the point of publishing the list on the website?” asked a teacher, preferring not to be named.

'Huge Economic Crisis for 26,000 Staffers'

“Our demand is we want all the mirror images of the OMR to be published online, evaluate our academic marks, and make a fresh panel. If needed, they can do re-counselling as well and fill up all the vacancies," Ali declared.

Aggrieved teachers staged a sit-in protest near the SSC office in Salt Lake, Kolkata. On Saturday evening, the protest shifted to the Metro Channel area at Esplanade, where teachers continued their demonstration, seeking transparency and justice.

“One should not see this situation as a crisis only for 26,000 people. Most of us are sole bread-earners for our families. Altogether, we are in a huge economic crisis,” said Sourav, a school teacher from Uluberia, Howrah.

He added:

“Even when unemployment was at its peak, I used to feel assured that I have a government job. But suddenly, I don't even have any roof over my head. How can I possibly appear for the re-exam?"

Sheikh Dilwar Ali, a teacher of Life Sciences from Jhargram, has to entirely provide for his family after his brother lost his job during the pandemic-led lockdown.

“We are mere victims of circumstance. Instead of being in a classroom, we are now having to take to the streets to fight against injustice done to us for someone else’s fault,” he lamented.

'Voluntarily Resume Duties': Mamata to Teachers

During a press conference at Netaji Indoor Stadium on 7 April, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while assuring full support, urged the teaching and non teaching staffs to return to their respective schools and “voluntarily” resume duties.

“How is a teacher supposed to give voluntary service? For how long shall this voluntary service continue? What shall we do after it ends? Won't we be back in the present position again?" countered Srijita Mukherjee, a high-school teacher. She demanded a permanent solution to the issue.

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 “This government job as a high school teacher is a hard-earned one. I studied for five years, appeared in the exam, and then secured the job. It’s not somebody’s mercy on me. But it seems now my identity and dignity have been snatched from me,” Mukherjee said.

Teachers Mull Appealing SC Verdict as Uncertainty Looms

With each passing day, anxiety and despair is deepening among the terminated teaching and non teaching staffs.

Md. Shiauddin Ahmed, a school teacher from Lakkhikantapur, said:

“Until the government cooperates with accurate information and the Review Petition is admitted by the Supreme Court, we are stuck. I never thought being a teacher would mean we have to go through such humiliation. We are getting punished for corruption done by others.”

Meanwhile, several schools have asked teachers to continue teaching as they are not officially terminated. 

Motitreyi Majumdar, a teacher from Noapara Rashbehari Institute, Barasat, had come to the protest site to extend solidarity with her fellow teachers.

“I haven't lost my job, but I am stripped of my dignity. We chose the teaching profession out of passion. Many young boys and girls dream of becoming teachers. What kind of example is being set for them today? Because of the government's corruption, educated people have to face this disgraceful harassment,” she said.

On 17 April, the Supreme Court will be hearing WBBSE's plea, which seeks continuation of services for teachers, who have no corruption charges against them, until the completion of the fresh recruitment process.