Kolkata, 07 August (H.S.): Teachers and non-teaching staff who lost their jobs after the Supreme Court upheld the cancellation of the entire 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment panel staged a protest in central Kolkata on Friday, demanding the reinstatement of candidates they claim were recruited on merit.

The protesters, identifying themselves as eligible candidates, marched from Sealdah to Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala, where they blocked the road and began an indefinite sit-in demonstration.

The protesters demanded that the West Bengal government scrutinise OMR sheets and other recruitment records to distinguish eligible candidates from those who allegedly secured appointments through irregularities. They urged the government to reinstate deserving teachers and non-teaching staff without further delay.

The demonstration was led by teacher leaders Suman Biswas and Chinmoy Mondal, along with other affected employees. They warned that the protest would continue until their demands were met.

The road blockade at Dorina Crossing disrupted traffic in one of Kolkata's busiest commercial areas, causing significant inconvenience to commuters during peak hours.

The controversy stems from the 2016 SSC recruitment process, which came under judicial scrutiny over allegations of large-scale corruption and irregularities. In April 2024, the Calcutta High Court cancelled the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff and directed those who had obtained jobs illegally to return their salaries with interest.

The verdict was challenged before the Supreme Court, which initially granted interim relief but later upheld the High Court's decision, resulting in the cancellation of nearly 26,000 appointments.

The protesters maintain that while the recruitment process was tainted, many genuinely qualified candidates were appointed on merit and should not be penalised. They have called on the state government to identify and reinstate eligible candidates based on the OMR sheets and other official records.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey