Impact of CBI Chargesheet on 32000 Teacher Recruitment Case: Real Timeline of Corruption Revealed! What is the Connection with the Panel?

32000 Teacher Recruitment Case: A new confusion has recently emerged surrounding the CBI chargesheet in connection with the 32,000 primary teacher recruitment process in West Bengal. Many are concerned about the relationship between this recruitment drive, which ran from the 2014 TET until 2017, and the recent CBI chargesheet. There is a growing fear that this chargesheet could impact the entire panel of 32,000 teachers. But what do the facts say? A clear picture emerges upon analysing the details of the chargesheet and the board’s statement.

Recruitment Process According to the Board

The West Bengal Board of Primary Education had submitted an affidavit in the Calcutta High Court stating that its recruitment process was completed by April 2017. According to the board’s information, it did not publish any further panels or conduct direct recruitments after April 2017. Any subsequent appointments were made based on court orders. This information is crucial as it serves as a baseline for understanding the timeline of the corruption.

Details of Corruption in the CBI Chargesheet

In its supplementary chargesheet, the CBI has brought forward several sensational details regarding the Primary Teacher Recruitment Scam. The then Education Minister and the President of the Board have been accused of being involved in this corruption. According to the chargesheet, the main corrupt activities took place after the board’s official recruitment process had ended.

• Awarding Marks to Unsuccessful Candidates: A file has been recovered which contained approval to grant one extra mark to unsuccessful candidates.
• List of Influential Candidates: In a memo dated 28/06/2022, the roll numbers of 34 candidates and the names of influential persons were found.
• List of 752 Candidates: A list of 752 non-qualified candidates was found in an email from Prabir Banerjee, the OSD to the then Education Minister. The document verification and interviews for these candidates were conducted between 11/05/2017 and 16/05/2017.

Connection Between the Chargesheet and the 32,000 Panel

This is where the core issue lies. According to the Board, the recruitment process concluded on 17/04/2017. However, the corruption related to the 752 non-qualified candidates mentioned in the CBI chargesheet began from 11th May 2017. This means these corrupt activities occurred nearly a month after the Board’s official panel was published.

Based on this information, it can be concluded that the corruption proven in the CBI chargesheet is not part of the main 32,000 panel. These fraudulent appointments were the result of a criminal conspiracy between the then Education Minister and the Board President after the official recruitment process was over. Therefore, the allegation that Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya is trying to confuse the two issues is now being questioned.

It is clear from the CBI chargesheet that corruption did take place, but its timeline is post-April 2017. According to the board’s own data, the main process for the 32,000 recruitments was completed before that. Therefore, those who secured their jobs through the original panel have little reason to panic about this chargesheet. As the corruption has been proven, legal proceedings will continue against the accused, but so far, no direct link has been established with the original 32,000 panel.