WBSSC recruitment case: Calcutta HC concludes hearing on contempt of court petition, reserves verdict

Kolkata, May 1 The Calcutta High Court on Thursday concluded a detailed hearing on the contempt of court petition filed against the West Bengal government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) for not implementing the Supreme Court order earlier this month cancelling the appointments of 25,753 teaching (secondary and higher secondary) and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools made in 2016.

However, the division bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi has reserved its judgment in the matter.

Last month, a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld an earlier order by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelling 25,753 teaching (secondary and higher secondary) and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools.

The Supreme Court also accepted the observation of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel had to be cancelled because of the failure on the part of the state government and the commission to segregate the "genuine" candidates from the "tainted" ones.

Thereafter, the contempt-of-court petition was filed against the West Bengal government and WBSSC, accusing the latter of not implementing the order of the apex court.

The WBSSC counsel questioned the authority of the Calcutta High Court to hear the contempt-of-court petition. Counsel argued that although the Supreme Court earlier this month had upheld last year’s order by the Calcutta High Court’s division bench, at the same time, it ordered some changes in the high court’s order.

Hence, the WBSSC counsel argued, any hearing in the matter now could only be at the Supreme Court. However, the counsel for the petitioner, in his counter-argument, submitted that since the apex court had upheld the main part of the Calcutta High Court’s order, which was regarding the cancellation of the entire panel for WBSSC for 2016, the said division bench had every authority to hear the contempt-of-court petition.

Finally, the arguments of both sides were completed on Thursday, and the division bench reserved its order.

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