Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the CBI to probe into the allegedly illegal appointment of school teachers in the Darjeeling hills by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Justice Biswajit Basu who issued the order had drawn up a suo motu case after receiving several letters from common people, alleging the GTA, particularly Binay Tamang, with the assistance of a Trinamul Congress leader, had appointed 700 to 1000 employees in schools and civic bodies.

The court's order pertains to two sets of appointments — of 313 and 439 teachers — in the hills. Tamang had been the administrator of the GTA from 2017 to 2019 when some of the appointments were made.

“It has been learnt that there are lots of complaints regarding illegal appointments in GTA controlled establishments. Then why did the police not take action?“ asked Justice Basu.

“The CBI is directed to find out whether allegations made by the letter writer are true," the judge added.

Allegations of nepotism and anomalies in the appointment of teachers had cropped up in the hills. Many senior leaders of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) that runs the GTA now had also been appointed between 2017 and 2019.

“Since some elected GTA Sabha members have also had their teaching jobs regularised during this period; the issue is big in the hills,” said an observer.

The case revolves around the regularisation of the jobs of voluntary teachers.

Since the School Service Commission (SSC) had been defunct from 2003 until early this year, many schools had engaged voluntary teachers purportedly against vacant posts. The system had been in place from the days of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in 1988 to the GTA that came into existence in 2012.

There are allegations that many who were working abroad were also appointed and the services of family members of political leaders and school teachers were illegally regularised.

Binay Tamang welcomed the court’s decision. “I welcome the court’s decision that has ordered a CBI inquiry. We believe the CBI will act fairly without political prejudice.”