Fate of 32,000 primary teachers and education workers hangs in balance as Calcutta HC set to begin hearing from May 7

The Calcutta High Court on Monday informed that the hearing on appeals challenging the termination of around 32,000 primary school jobs will begin on May 7. The hearing will take place before the division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra.

 

On Monday, the court confirmed that the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) will present its arguments first. All involved parties have been instructed to submit their documents to the court on the same day.

 

Additionally, the high court clarified that it won’t have sufficient time to hear arguments from multiple lawyers individually. Therefore, lawyers with similar arguments and positions are required to present their cases collectively, under one lead representative.

 

The matter pertains to the recruitment of candidates in the 2014 panel of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for government-run and aided primary schools. In the 2014 TET, approximately 1.25 lakh candidates qualified. In 2016, the WBBPE initiated the recruitment process, ultimately appointing 42,949 candidates from among those who had qualified.

 

Allegations later surfaced about irregularities in the recruitment process and led to cases being filed in the Calcutta High Court. In May 2023, a single bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who is now a BJP MP, ruled that the appointments of approximately 32,000 teachers were illegal and ordered their cancellation.

 

This ruling was temporarily stayed by a division bench of Justices Supratim Bhattacharya and Subrata Bhattacharya, though they emphasized that the state should begin the process of fresh recruitment, as instructed by the single bench.

 

The matter was later presented before Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De. However, on April 7, they decided to recuse himself from the case and directed that the matter be referred to Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam for reassignment to a new bench.

 

The case holds immense importance as it will decide the fate of around 32,000 primary school teachers and non-teaching staff currently employed in West Bengal. After the dismissal of over 25,000 teachers (Class 9, 10, 11 and 12) and education workers (Group C and Group D), a similar outcome for primary teachers and workers could lead to a significant disruption in the education sector.

 

This potential crisis in the education system could create substantial challenges for the ruling Trinamool Congress ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. The termination of such a large number of teachers could affect public opinion and the party’s standing in the electoral race, adding political pressure on the state government.

India