Cal HC dismisses petitions challenging publication of list of tainted school job candidates by SSC

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed petitions challenging the publication of a list of tainted candidates for West Bengal government-sponsored and aided school jobs as per a Supreme Court direction.

Justice Sougat Bhattacharyya held that since special leave petitions are pending consideration before the Supreme Court and the list containing names of tainted candidates was published by the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC) in connection with an order of the apex court of August 28, these are not fit cases where the high court should interfere.

He dismissed the petitions, refusing the petitioners' contention as untainted teachers.

Justice Bhattacharyya noted that the Supreme Court in its order of August 28 recorded the submission of the SSC's lawyer that the list of tainted candidates whose selection was set aside by the court would be placed in public domain on the website of the commission within seven days.

The petitions were filed by candidates, whose names appeared in the list of tainted candidates, questioning the publication of a list containing names of such candidates in a memo dated August 30 by the SSC.

The list contains names of 1,804 candidates who have been declared as tainted in connection with their participation in the first state-level selection test (SLST) in 2016 for classes 9,10, 11 and 12.

Justice Bhattacharyya noted that the list was published in accordance with an order dated August 28, passed on a Special Leave Petition by the Supreme Court.

More than 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools lost their jobs, including these 1,804 candidates, as per a Supreme Court judgment that found the entire selection process as tainted.