On May 7, the Supreme Court halted the directive of the Calcutta High Court to dismiss about 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff hired through a 2016 state-level exam in West Bengal due to a teacher recruitment scandal. The Supreme Court allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to pursue further investigation into the alleged scam but without taking coercive measures. If the CBI confirms that approximately 8,000 teachers secured their positions fraudulently, they may be required to refund their salaries.
The next hearing for this case is scheduled for July 16. During the proceedings, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud criticized the West Bengal government, denouncing the scam as a threat to public faith in scarce job opportunities. The court highlighted the absence of data from the West Bengal government verifying the legitimacy of the 2016 state-level tests for teacher appointments in government-supported secondary and higher secondary schools. The court invalidated the entire school service commission recruitment process of 2016, annulling appointments in grades 9 to 12 and groups C and D where discrepancies were identified.
Additionally, a two-judge panel of the Calcutta High Court instructed the board to conduct fresh recruitment and demanded that individuals hired unlawfully return their salaries within four weeks. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate are actively investigating the scandal, with 12 individuals, including former West Bengal School Service Commission Chairman Subiresh Bhattacharya, named by the CBI. The controversy unfolded following the arrest of Partha Chatterjee, a Trinamool Congress leader and former state education minister.