The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday observed that the future of the country was more important than that of a few thousand people who allegedly got jobs in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools through irregular means.

Hearing petitions and appeals in connection with the alleged irregular appointments, a division bench of the high court said that "one or two rotten apples make a whole box of the fruit go to waste".

The division bench presided by Justice Debangsu Basak observed that the future of the country was more important than that of a few thousand people against whom the allegation was that they got jobs in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided secondary and higher secondary schools as teaching and non-teaching staff through irregular means.

Senior counsel Jayanta Mitra, representing a section of those who were alleged to have got jobs through irregular means, submitted before the court that the West Bengal School Service Commission's report in connection with the appointments was not acceptable, and so, on the basis of that, the service of people who were appointed about five years back cannot be taken away.

The bench, also comprising Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi, said that more than 20 lakh aspirants had appeared for the recruitment examinations with the hope that the appointment process would be transparent.

The court said that it would take an appropriate decision after the completion of pleadings by all parties.

The division bench, formed by the Chief Justice of the high court on a direction of the Supreme Court, was hearing petitions and appeals relating to the selection of candidates for appointment by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12, and group C and D staffers for the year 2016.

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