The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has put on hold its order on the termination of teachers and Group C and D staff of government-aided schools after a lawyer representing the employees wrote to the board to abide by a Supreme Court order and allow those terminated “to resume their services”.
The Supreme Court had on April 12 kept the termination in abeyance till the next hearing, which has been scheduled for April 26. A board official said Partha Sil, the lawyer representing the terminated employees, has requested the board to let the staff resume their services so their salaries can be restored.
“You are, therefore, requested to strictly comply with the aforementioned order of the… Supreme Court of India and permit the terminated assistant teachers and non-teaching staff to resume their services,” reads the letter that Sil sent to the state secondary education board president on April 17.
Sil declined to comment when contacted by this newspaper.
“The termination has been kept in abeyance because a bench of the apex court is going to hear the case soon,” the board official said.
The West Bengal School Service Commission had cancelled the job recommendations issued to 775 secondary-level teachers, 842 Group C employees and 1,911 Group D employees in government-aided schools this year on the ground that they got theirjobs after manipulation of marks.
The board had given appointments based on the WBSSC’s recommendation.
The Supreme Court’s April 12 order, which the WBSSC has uploaded on its website, says: “We are conscious of the submissions made by Mr Bhattacharya (appearing for the writ petitioners) and Mr Raju (appearing for the CBI) that in a case of this nature where extensive fraud is alleged to have been committed, court has to ensure that manipulators are not given shelter by the process of court. But we also cannot ignore the requirement of compliance of the principles of natural justice at this stage, particularly since the aggrieved candidates appear to be working in the respective posts since the year 2018-2019.”
“For the reason already indicated, the termination orders already passed in these matters shall be kept in abeyance till the next date of hearing.”
A bench of the Supreme Court had on April 12 asked Calcutta High Court to send a copy of the report of a committee chaired by retired Justice Ranjit Kumar Bag in a sealed cover.
The report says an advisory panel set up by the personal secretary to then education minister Partha Chatterjee had issued “fake” recommendation letters, based on which appointments were made.