Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday welcomed the Calcutta High Court order cancelling all appointments made through a 2016 recruitment process for West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools, and said the verdict proves that the "TMC government was indeed involved in corruption".
Earlier in the day, the high court ordered the cancellation of all appointments made through the recruitment process of the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools, declaring it 'null and void".
“We welcome the Calcutta High Court order. We have nothing to say about those who have lost their jobs. But this verdict proves that the TMC government was indeed involved in corruption. We condemn this corrupt government, where jobs were sold by ministers and party leaders,” said Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly.
Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee being the head of the government was "answerable as to how such a scam took place in the state".
“The chief minister cannot avoid her responsibility as the head of the state. We demand an explanation from her as to how such a scam took place in the state. Thousands of families have been impacted by this decision,” he said.
Banerjee has termed the Calcutta High Court order as “illegal” and said her government will challenge the verdict.
A division bench comprising justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi also directed the CBI to undertake further investigation with respect to the appointment process and submit a report within three months.
The bench directed the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) to initiate a fresh recruitment process.
Over 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the SLST-2016 for 24,640 vacant posts.
A total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued against the vacancies, said Firdaus Shamim, a lawyer for some of the petitioners.
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