Calcutta HC dismisses petition by TET-qualified candidates to relax age limit to appear for fresh recruitment

Kolkata, Nov 25 The Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday, dismissed the petition of 2022 Teachers Eligibility Test (TET)-qualified candidates who had appealed to be given an opportunity to appear in the new recruitment process of 2025 by relaxing their age limit.

Single bench of Justice Biswajit Basu dismissed the petition.

The petitioners, however, said that they will challenge the single bench court judgment in a division bench of the High Court.

The 2022 TET pass candidates had filed an application in the Calcutta High Court seeking to participate in the new recruitment process of primary teachers in state-run schools.

Advocates Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and Bikram Banerjee, appearing for the petitioners, said that the High Court had earlier given such a judgment in a similar case.

Age relaxation was given in the case of 2017 TET candidates.

Therefore, in this case too, the job seekers have the right to participate in the recruitment process.

TET exam is mandatory for recruitment of primary teachers.

The West Bengal Primary Education Board, however, said that the 2017 job seekers were given the opportunity to increase the age limit after they challenged the 2016 rule of the primary board. In this case, that rule cannot be interfered with in any way.

After hearing arguments of both sides, the judge dismissed the application of the job seekers in view of the statements of all parties.

The petition was filed after online application for fresh recruitment of primary teachers in state-run schools in West Bengal, which is taking place after a gap of eight years, began on November 19.

The fresh recruitment is happening at a time when the final hearing on the case of alleged irregularities in the recruitment of around 32,000 primary teachers, who had been recruited in the past, had already been completed at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, and the judgment in the matter might be pronounced any day from now.

It may be noted that the notification for the recruitment of primary teachers was published in September.

The West Bengal Board of Primary Education announced the recruitment of teachers for 13,421 vacant posts.

Candidates, who have cleared the TET, will be able to apply for the post of assistant teacher in government approved, government-sponsored primary schools and junior (basic) schools through the online portal.

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