Calcutta High Court Reverses Termination of 32,000 Primary Teachers in West Bengal

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday overturned the earlier ruling by retired Justice Abhijit Ganguly that had cancelled the appointment of 32,000 teachers in government-run and government-aided primary schools. The order was delivered by Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra. The bench observed that removing the teachers after nearly nine years of service would severely affect their livelihood and families. The ruling comes months before the Bengal Assembly elections, offering significant relief to the ruling Trinamool Congress, which has faced multiple allegations of corruption linked to the education and recruitment sectors.

In 2023, Justice Ganguly had annulled the recruitment of 32,000 primary teachers, citing irregularities and alleged manipulation in the hiring process. The recruitment was based on the Teachers’ Eligibility Test conducted in 2014, through which 42,500 candidates were appointed. Of these, 32,000 were disqualified by the single bench. Justice Ganguly, who later retired and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, had directed the state to begin a fresh recruitment process and complete it within three months. His verdict fueled political tensions as the matter gained statewide attention.

A division bench comprising Justice Subrata Talukdar and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya later placed an interim stay on the termination of the 32,000 appointments and allowed the state six months to facilitate a fresh recruitment panel. The West Bengal government then approached the Supreme Court challenging the order. The Supreme Court upheld the stay but sent the matter back to the high court for a final hearing. The division bench of Justices Chakraborty and Mitra completed the final hearing on November 12 and pronounced their ruling on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, in March, the Supreme Court had already struck down the recruitment of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff appointed for classes IX to XII in state-run schools after the State Level Selection Test. Reacting to Wednesday’s verdict, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari stated that Justice Ganguly acted correctly. He accused the ruling Trinamool government of systematically compromising recruitment transparency, alleging irregularities in several examinations, including recent police recruitment tests. Adhikari said the government repeatedly failed to conduct fair exams and insisted that Ganguly’s decision was justified.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh responded by saying that isolated mistakes or wrongdoing were being exaggerated to suggest a complete collapse of the education system. He argued that the recruitment process in West Bengal was being conducted transparently compared to those in previous Left governments or BJP-ruled states. Ghosh admitted there were instances of negligence and corruption but said the government was committed to ensuring deserving candidates receive appointments. He accused opposition parties—including the BJP, CPM, and a section of Congress—of politicising the issue for electoral gains and creating unnecessary controversy.