'Mamata Banerjee should be in jail': BJP, Cong protest over SSC jobs case

The protests come days after the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta HC verdict that invalidated the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff across state-run and state-aided schools

Members of the opposition BJP and Congress staged a protest on Monday over the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) case, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This comes days after the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict that invalidated the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff across state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal.

 

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers and several BJP leaders were also detained by police at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Guest House before they could carry out their planned protest against the state government.

 

“Mamata Banerjee should be in jail. She’s the prime beneficiary. Her nephew took ₹700 crore in bribes,” alleged Suvendu Adhikari, BJP legislator and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

 

 

Congress workers also held a protest at the SSC office. Party leader Pradip Prasad said, "26,000 teachers have lost their jobs now. We demand the resignation of CM Mamata Banerjee."

 

Supreme Court upholds dismissal of over 25,000 teachers

 

On April 3, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's judgment invalidating the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in government and government-aided schools across the state. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar found the recruitment process to be riddled with irregularities, ultimately compromising its legitimacy.

 

The court ruled that the extent of manipulation in the selection process had eroded the integrity of the appointments, making them untenable. The judgment reaffirmed the High Court’s April 2024 decision that declared the recruitment process tainted and legally unsustainable.

 

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, rejecting the verdict as “illegal”, stated: “We have the highest regard for the judiciary, but I cannot accept this judgment. One Chief Justice of India (CJI) stayed the High Court verdict, and another CJI cancelled it. You can understand what I mean.”

 

On May 7 last year, the Supreme Court stayed the high court order but allowed the CBI to continue its investigation.

 

Mamata Banerjee claims Bengal being targetted

 

Vowing to protect the jobs of "deserving" teachers whose appointments were quashed, Mamata Banerjee cited the NEET medical entrance examination as a precedent, noting that the Supreme Court had not invalidated the entire exam despite controversies.

 

“If the Supreme Court gives us clarity, we will be grateful. If not, we will find a way and stand by you. Suffer for two months, you won’t have to suffer for 20 years. I’ll compensate you for those two months too. You won’t have to beg,” she told a gathering of dismissed teachers at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium on Monday.

 

“The Supreme Court must clarify who is deserving and who is not. Give us the list. No one has the right to dismantle the education system. In the Vyapam case in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, so many people were killed, and justice is still pending. In NEET, multiple allegations surfaced, yet the examination wasn’t cancelled. Why is Bengal being singled out? We want answers. You are afraid of Bengal’s talent,” she added.

 

What Is the case?

 

The case stems from allegations of large-scale irregularities in the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). The allegations involve suspected corruption in a state-level selection exam in which 23 lakh candidates competed for 24,640 posts.

 

(With inputs from agencies)