India, April 3 -- In a massive blow to Mamata Banerjee's government, the Supreme Court on Thursday scrapped 25,753 teacher and staff appointments in state-run and state-aided schools across West Bengal, ruling that the entire selection process was "vitiated and tainted." The verdict upholds the Calcutta High Court's April 22, 2024, ruling, which had earlier annulled the controversial appointments.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar delivered the decision, emphasizing that while the affected employees will not be required to return their salaries, their appointments stand canceled. The court directed the West Bengal government to conduct a fresh selection process within three months to fill ...