The Calcutta High Court’s division bench on Wednesday dismissed the earlier order of a single-judge bench that had cancelled the appointment of 32,000 primary teachers in state-run schools. This verdict brought major relief to the West Bengal Government and the teachers whose jobs were at stake.
The case had been heard by the bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Ritabrata Kumar Mitra, with arguments concluding on November 12. The judgment, reserved on that day, was finally delivered on Wednesday afternoon.
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While setting aside the single-judge order, the division bench noted that although irregularities in the recruitment process were acknowledged, cancelling the jobs of thousands of teachers who had been serving for years was not feasible.
The bench also said that candidates who had no role in any irregularities could not be punished collectively. It stressed that terminating the services of 32,000 teachers would severely affect their families.
The division bench hearing began on April 28. The case traces back to May 12, 2023, when the then single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered the cancellation of the appointments of 32,000 primary teachers based on petitions alleging that several candidates secured recommendations despite lower ranks in the recruitment exams.
The state government challenged the verdict, and the matter went to the division bench of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De. After Justice Sen recused himself, the case was assigned to Justice Chakraborty and Justice Mitra.
About TET 2014 recruitment irregularities
The recruitment was based on the 2014 Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) conducted by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, through which 42,500 teachers were appointed. Some TET candidates later approached the court alleging large-scale irregularities, including cash-for-jobs claims. This led to the single-judge cancellation order in 2023. The division bench’s latest judgement has now overturned that decision, bringing relief to the 32,000 primary teachers affected.
