Recruitment process will be completed by end of Dec this year: Mamata

Kolkata, April 17 -- Welcoming the Supreme Court's order of allowing the untainted teachers to continue their work by December 31, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed her hope that the recruitment process will be completed by the end of December this year.

"We are happy with the SC order. There is a sense of relief; the teachers will get their salaries at the right time. The recruitment process will not drag on till next year as some people have been saying. It will be completed by this year itself. It will not continue till 2026, I am hopeful it will be resolved by 2025," Banerjee told reporters at Nabanna.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar took note of the state government's submission that academic functioning in several schools had been severely affected and that new recruitment would take time. The Apex Court directed the state government to start the recruitment process on or before May 31 and conclude it by December 31 this year.

She appealed to the teachers to discharge their duties properly reiterating that the state is sympathetic and is committed to standing by the teachers.

"Whatever we will do, we will do as per law. Let all our lawyers who are presently in Delhi come back. I have also asked our Education minister Bratya Basu to consult them. When a problem arises, it takes time to resolve. Nothing should be done in a hurry. Have faith in the judiciary, have faith in the state government. We will surely find a way out through the legal process. So be patient," Banerjee said.

The top court clarified that its relief did not extend to Group 'C' and Group 'D' employees appointed in state-run and aided schools.

The court asked the state government and the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to file a compliance affidavit intimating the initiation of the recruitment process on or before May 31.

On April 3, the top court invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and staffers in the state-run and aided schools, upholding a Calcutta High Court verdict of April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.