Calcutta:
The BJP's West Bengal unit has set up a special legal support website and a helpline number to help 'genuine' candidates affected by the alleged school job scam, a senior party leader said on Thursday.
The helpline number and portal were made public on Wednesday evening, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the BJP's state unit to set up a legal cell for the 'real' candidates.
“As per the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the West Bengal BJP is obliged to stand with the eligible candidates affected by the illegal recruitment of some people by the TMC,” said BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.
The legal support website is 'bjplegalsupport.org' and the helpline number is 9150056618, he said.
“As soon as a complaint is received through the helpline number or website, we will speak to the concerned candidate and inquire about the status of his or her case after which we will provide legal assistance accordingly,” he said.
While addressing election rallies in the state on Friday, Prime Minister Modi had issued a direction to the state BJP in a bid to address grievances arising out of the scam and assured support to genuine candidates who were affected.
The Calcutta High Court had on April 22 declared the recruitment process of State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in government-sponsored and aided schools of West Bengal as “null and void” and ordered cancellation of all appointments made through the Supreme Court were made. About 26,000 people lost their jobs after the court order.
However, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Calcutta High Court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff by the state School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and aided schools.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, however, allowed the CBI to continue its investigation and even probe members of the state cabinet but asked the agency not to take rash action such as arresting a suspect.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused the BJP of “hatching a conspiracy” to snatch school jobs and thanked the top court for staying the Calcutta High Court order.
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