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Kolkata, Nov 19 (IANS) The first hearing of the petition filed in a single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court challenging the results of the written examination for new recruitment of higher secondary teachers in government schools of West Bengal is scheduled for the first hearing on Wednesday.
The fresh recruitment is taking place to fill the vacancies created by the cancellation of nearly 26,000 school jobs by a division bench of the Supreme Court earlier this year. Delivering its verdict in April this year, the apex court had barred “tainted” teachers, who had secured jobs by paying them, from participating in the new recruitment process.
The petitioner in the case has alleged that in disregard of the Supreme Court’s direction, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) allowed several “tainted” candidates to appear for the written examination in the new recruitment process. Many of them also qualified for the interview as per the results of the written examination published last week.
Around 20,000 candidates who appeared for the written test for the new recruitment process have qualified for the interview. The process of verification of his documents started on November 18.
On Wednesday, another petition was filed in a single-judge bench of Justice Sinha, challenging the results, though on different grounds. In this second petition, the petitioner had argued as to why candidates with previous teaching experience in government-recognized private schools would not be able to enjoy the additional weightage criteria of 10 marks, which is given to candidates with previous teaching experience in state-run schools.
The hearing on the second petition will be held on Thursday or Friday.
The Supreme Court on April 3 this year upheld an earlier order of a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, which had quashed the entire panel of WBSSC for 2016.
The Supreme Court also accepted the contention of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel had to be quashed because despite repeated insistence by the High Court and the apex court, neither the State Education Department nor the Commission submitted two separate lists separating “tainted” candidates from “tainted” candidates.
The apex court directed that the entire new recruitment process will have to be completed by December 31 this year.
Although the Supreme Court barred “tainted” teachers from participating in the new recruitment process, it allowed “spotless” teachers to participate.
–IANS
Source/DPB