HC Directs CBI To Probe “Illegal” Appointments In Bengal Government-Aided Schools

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court today upheld the decision of a single bench that instructed the CBI to investigate suspected illegal appointments made by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education on the School Service Commission’s recommendations (SSC).

Right after the division bench ordered, a single bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay directed state minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation. He has to appear at its office before 6pm on Wednesday, in connection with the SSC appointments scam.

The division bench, comprising justices Subrata Talukder and AK Mukherjee, termed “irregularities” in recommending appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff by SSC as a “public scam.” AK Mukherjee, said that the single bench of Justice Gangopadhyay was not wrong in ordering a probe into the alleged money trail involved.

The orders of the single bench require no intervention, said the division bench.

A five-member committee to oversee the appointment process for a 2016 panel for recruitment of teachers for classes 9 and 10 and group C and D staff in government-aided schools was illegal. Holding this, the single bench had ordered then state education minister to appear before the CBI.

When the alleged appointments were made, Chatterjee was the state education minister at that time. Currently he is the industry, commerce and parliamentary affairs minister of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet.

The single bench issued seven orders requesting the CBI to investigate alleged irregularities in the employment of teaching and non-teaching staff.

Of these, one was in group C, two in group D appointments and four in teachers’ recruitment for classes 9 and 10.

All these orders had earlier been stayed by the division bench on a series of appeals.