HC discharges contempt rule against school service commission

The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) has been discharged from contempt proceedings by the Calcutta High Court in connection with the publication of a merit list of candidates to recruit teachers for 12,905 vacancies.

The contempt proceedings were initiated against the SSC on a petition alleging that the court's September 18, 2018 order directing it to publish the merit list was not complied with properly.

Satisfied with the submission of the SSC that it has published the merit list for the State Level Selection Test 2016, conducted by the SSC in accordance with rules, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha "discharged the contempt rule".

The petition was moved by candidates Monika Roy and Sabnam Banu.

Hearing the contempt prayer moved by their lawyer Ashish Chowdhury, Justice Mantha on Monday directed the SSC to submit before it, within a day, what was done with regard to publication of the merit list of candidates who appeared for teachers' recruitment examination.

Appearing for the SSC, counsel Sutanu Kumar Patra Tuesday submitted that according to the commission's rules, list of candidates who were empanelled and those waitlisted are published on the basis of marks obtained in the examination, and academic and professional qualification.

Patra submitted that while the empanelment is done on the basis of actual number of vacancies, the waitlist is that of four candidates per 10 empanelled candidates.

Thereafter, the personality test of these candidates is done and a further list of the selected candidates is published.

He submitted that this has been done in the present case and as such the court's order was complied with.

Patra told the court that the number of vacancies for SLST 2016 was 12,905 across all subjects.

Justice Mantha noted that an affidavit of compliance was filed by the SSC secretary stating that publication of the merit list has been done in accordance with the commission's rules.

The court expressed its satisfaction that the order of September 18, 2018 had been complied with.

The SSC secretary and current chairman were present in the court during the hearing.