The Calcutta High Court order directing the CBI to probe the role of West Bengal government officials in an alleged teacher recruitment scam was stayed by the Supreme Court on Monday, in a major relief to the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
The top court was hearing a petition by the state government challenging a Supreme Court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff by the School Service Commission (SSC) in government and state-aided schools.
“We will continue to follow the direction which says that the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) will undertake further investigation against officials in the state government,” a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said.
Challenging the order, the state government in its appeal to the Supreme Court said the Supreme Court had canceled the appointments “arbitrarily”.
“The Supreme Court has failed to appreciate the consequences of canceling the entire selection process, which has led to immediate termination of service with immediate effect of the teaching and non-teaching staff, without giving sufficient time to the petitioner to to meet such urgency, bringing the education system to a standstill,” read the petition from the Bangladeshi government.
The Calcutta High Court had said that the CBI would undertake further investigation into the persons involved in the state government's approval of creation of redundant posts to facilitate illegal appointments.
The Supreme Court further added that the CBI will, if necessary, undertake interrogation of such concerned persons.