New Delhi, April 17 (HS): The Supreme Court has allowed teachers whose appointments were canceled due to irregularities in the recruitment process in West Bengal to remain in their positions until the new selection process is completed. A bench led by CJI Sanjeev Khanna clarified that this relief is only for those teachers whose appointments were 'unblemished.' The Supreme Court has directed the West Bengal government and the West Bengal Staff Selection Commission to issue advertisements for the new recruitment of assistant teachers by May 31 and to complete the recruitment process.

The Supreme Court has granted relief to those teachers who were not involved in the irregularities concerning recruitment, keeping in mind the interests of students from grades 9 to 12 in West Bengal. This relief has been provided for the current academic session. Following the decision to cancel the teachers' appointments and considering the shortage of teachers in the state, the West Bengal government had sought relief from the Supreme Court. No relief has been granted to the tainted teachers. The Supreme Court has instructed the state government to publish the advertisement for new recruitment by May 31, and the appointment process must be completed by December 31.

On April 3, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to cancel the appointments of nearly 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal. The bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna, stated that these appointments were made fraudulently. Following this decision by the Supreme Court, the West Bengal government filed a petition.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar