Supreme Court Stays High Court Order Cancelling 25,000 Bengal School Jobs

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday provided a lifeline to over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal’s government-aided schools by staying a Calcutta High Court order that cancelled their appointments. The High Court had ruled the recruitment process fraudulent, but the Supreme Court called it a “systemic fraud” requiring investigation, not blanket job termination.

The top court, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to continue its probe but barred them from taking any coercive actions against the affected employees or government officials. The court emphasized the need to differentiate between valid and invalid recruitments.

While directing the Bengal government to devise a plan for this segregation, the court clarified that only individuals with invalid appointments would be required to refund their salaries. Previously, the Calcutta HC had ordered all 25,000 employees to return their salaries along with an annualized interest of 12 percent.

Reacting to the verdict, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee stated that the truth had prevailed. He stressed the importance of standing firm against attempts to tarnish Bengal’s image and destabilize the government.