The Calcutta High Court on Monday cancelled the entire panel of 2016 SSC recruitment. The court also instructed the administration to take action on fresh appointments in the next 15 days. The court further ordered that those who were recruited illegally will have to return their salary within six weeks. All appointments by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 and group-C and D staffers through the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) where irregularities were found have also been declared null and void.
The court pronouced its judgement after hearing petitions and appeals relating to alleged irregularities in the selection of candidates in the 2016 recruitment process. A division bench, formed by the Chief Justice of the High Court at the direction of the Supreme Court, was hearing the matter. The hearing in the matter was concluded on March 20 and judgement was reserved by the division bench.
The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) teacher recruitment scam came to light after the arrest of Bengal BJP leader Partha Chatterjee, a Trinamool Congress leader who served as the education minister in Mamata Banerjee's cabinet until his arrest on July 23, 2022.Earlier on February 16, a team of the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on close associates of Partha Chatterjee in Kolkata.
Chatterjee was arrested after Rs 21 crore in cash and jewellery worth above Rs 1 crore was recovered from the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of the former education minister. Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee, are facing a probe into the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam.
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