Supreme Court Stops Investigation of Bengal Officers After 26,000 Teachers Lose Jobs

The Supreme Court stayed the Calcutta High Court order directing the CBI to probe into the role of West Bengal government officials in an alleged teacher recruitment scam. The order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the School Service Commission in state-run and state-aided schools was challenged by the state government. The state government appealed before the top court, arguing that the high court order cancelling the appointments was done arbitrarily and failed to consider the consequences.

The petition by the Bengal government highlighted the significant disruption to the education system caused by the sudden termination of teaching and non-teaching staff. The bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra stated that the direction for the CBI to undertake further investigation against the state government officials would be stayed. The state government’s appeal expressed concerns over the cancellation of the entire selection process, leading to an immediate termination of staff without sufficient time to address the resulting challenges.

The Calcutta High Court had indicated that the CBI would undertake further investigations with regard to the persons involved in the state government’s approval of illegal appointments, and also suggested custodial interrogation if necessary.