The West Bengal government on Tuesday appealed before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, challenging a single bench order that directed the CBI to hold an enquiry into alleged irregularities in appointments of Group D workers in schools by the board of secondary education.

The appeal is likely to come up for hearing before a division bench presided over by Justice Harish Tandon on Wednesday.

Lawyers for the state urged before the bench that an urgent hearing be given to its appeal.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay on Monday ordered the CBI to conduct an enquiry into alleged irregularities in the appointment of Group D staff in aided/sponsored schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) on purported recommendations by the state's School Service Commission (SSC) and to find out whether there is any money trail involved.

The SSC had claimed before the court that it did not give recommendation letters for any of the 25 names of appointees submitted before the court by the petitioners.

The judge directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director to constitute a committee, headed by an officer not below the rank of a joint director, with officers not below the rank of DIG to initiate the enquiry.

The court directed the CBI to file a preliminary report before it on December 21, when further orders in the matter will be passed.

The order was passed on a petition by some job aspirants claiming that appointments were given to persons after the expiry of the panel proposed for the posts of Group D staff in aided/sponsored secondary and higher secondary schools in the state and had produced a list of such alleged appointees before the court.

Justice Gangopadhyay directed that a copy of a list of alleged illegally appointed persons and copies of all affidavits used in this matter including the writ application be handed over to the advocate of the CBI at 3 pm on Wednesday.