SC Nullifies Almost 26,000 SSC Appointments: Bengal’s Education System Under Fire
Dubela, Annrisha Kusari (Edited By Amritangshu Paul): In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed the Calcutta High Court’s order to scrap the recruitment of almost 26,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on account of massive corruption.
This judgement has shaken the state to its core, leaving thousands of impacted individuals without knowledge of their future while creating serious doubts about the transparency of the government’s recruitment process. The top court has ordered the West Bengal government to undertake a new recruitment process within three months to ensure fairness and meritocracy.
Naushad Siddiqui, sole MLA of the Indian Secular Front (ISF), criticized the recruitment process handling, asking the question why meritorious candidates had to go to the courts to seek justice. He decried the role of an “illegal sect” in manipulating the recruitment process and robbing meritorious candidates of their due opportunities. “The recruitment process was hijacked, and unqualified persons were given jobs while the qualified ones were not looked at. Its victims were socially embarrassed and suffered at their jobs,” Siddiqui said. He also spoke about difference in government reports, citing different agencies having given different figures about the number of appointments hit by the scam. “The figures don’t add up. The SSC, CBI, and state government are all giving different data. This confusion is a symptom of the entrenched corruption in the system,” he said.
The ruling not only highlighted defects in the recruitment process but has also deepened political polarization in the state. Siddiqui underscored that individuals affected are being singled out and isolated unfairly, going on to note that the government needs to take complete responsibility for the repercussions of its own neglect. With thousands of families still in turmoil, the question now is whether or not the state will adopt a genuinely transparent recruitment process. As West Bengal gears up for a new recruitment drive, the question is, will justice at last be served, or will the history repeat itself?
