Calcutta HC lens on teachers’ recruitment

Kolkata: The Calcutta high court has ordered the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to file an affidavit stating whether the panel had published any merit list of successful candidates for the recruitment of teachers for Class 9 and 10 in 2016.

Directing the WBSSC to submit the merit list with the affidavit by Tuesday Justice Rajasekhar Mantha warned that WBSSC secretary Mr Ashok Saha would be sent to “jail if the merit list would not be submitted with the affidavit.” On January 18, the high court asked WBSSC chairman and secretary to appear in person in connection with the case.

Since the WBSSC chairman’s post witnessed a change of guard, Mr Saha appeared at the high court during the hearing on Monday. Justice Mantha sought to know from him if the merit list was indeed published or not. Mr Saha told the judge that the merit list was published. He however could not submit any proof.

In August of 2018, Monica Roy alongwith others, who appeared for the teachers’ recruitment examination, filed the case at the high court. They alleged that the counselling of the candidates for the teachers’ recruitment had been underway without publication of the merit list.

The petitioners’ lawyer, Mr Ashish Kumar Chowdhury, said that the first hearing in the case was held on September 18 when Justice Mantha instructed the WBSSC to publish its merit list within four weeks according to its gazette notification of 2016. He complained that WBSSC however did not follow the high court’s order.

Mr Chowdhury said, “A contempt of court notice was issued against the panel. But neither the WBSSC chairman nor its secretary was present during the next hearing on January 18. The judge then issued the contempt rule while directing them to appear on January 28 in person.”