The Supreme Court will take up on Tuesday the case related to a Calcutta High Court order cancelling the jobs of over 23,000 teachers and non-teaching employees in Bengal’s government-aided schools.

On April 29, the apex court had stayed the high court order directing a probe into the conduct of Bengal government officials in creating supernumerary posts to fill some vacancies.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, had refrained from staying the operation of the entire high court order quashing the recruitment process, but agreed to take up the matter for further hearing on May 6.

On Monday, May 6, the bench, which included Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, informed the advocates involved in the case that the matter would be taken up on Tuesday morning.

The court is dealing with the Bengal government’s special leave petition (SLP) assailing Calcutta High Court’s recent judgment, following a CBI probe, quashing the recruitment of 23,123 teaching and non-teaching employees for various illegalities.

The Mamata Banerjee government is contending that the ruling will lead to a “huge vacuum in the State Schools”, “rendering the education system at a stand-still”.

Although the high court cancelled the jobs of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching employees, Bengal’s
appeal mentions the figure “23,123”.

The school service commission’s chairperson
had earlier said: “We mentioned the figure of 23,123 because the commission had originally recommended that many candidates for appointments. Later, the number swelled following various court orders....”

In the appeal filed through the state’ standing counsel, Astha Sharma, the state complained that the high court had clubbed together a host of issues. Instead of segregating the valid appointments, the state maintains, the court erroneously set aside the selection process in its entirety.