Justice Biswajit Basu of the high court on Wednesday asked CBI counsel why the agency has not registered any case against the 1,698 persons who the court had earlier said were “illegally appointed” to Group-D posts in government-aided secondary schools.
“You see, a fake document was received. One person created the document, while another person benefited from it. Both deserve the same punishment,” Justice Basu said.
“If cases can be registered against persons who issued the fake recommendation letters (S.P. Sinha and 14 others), why cases can’t be registered against 1,698 persons who got their jobs on the basis of those fake documents?”
The CBI had on August 10 last year arrested S.P. Sinha, former chief adviser to the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), and Ashok Saha, former secretary of the commission, in connection with the allegedly illegal appointment of Group C staff for government-aided schools by issuing fake recommendation letters for unsuccessful candidates.
The Telegraph reported on December 27 that the school education department had asked district inspectors of schools to serve a copy of a Calcutta High Court order on the 1,698 candidates who, the courts aid, were “illegally appointed in the post of non-teaching staff” in government-aided schools by the SSC.
On Wednesday, when a lawyer representing the CBI said that of the 1,698 candidates, four did not join work, the judge asked: “Then why are cases not being registered against 1,694 persons?”
The lawyer said the agency had a limited workforce. The judge said in response: “The officers who are available should complete the probe with immediate effect.”
The lawyer said the chargesheet against Sinha and 14 others had been submitted.
Hearing on locking of courtroom
A three-judge special bench of Calcutta High Court, headed byJustice T.S. Sivagnanam, on Wednesday started hearing the suo motu contempt proceedings drawn against lawyers who allegedly locked the courtroom of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha on January 9.
After viewing the video footage, Justice Sivagnanam asked the lawyers to identify the persons who were found locking the courtroom. But they did not identify anyone. The next hearing is on February 15.