32000 Teacher Case: Fate of 32,000 Primary Teachers to be Decided Today! Mega Hearing in High Court’s Division Bench, Will the Jobs Remain?

Primary Teacher Case: The future of 32,000 primary teachers in West Bengal stands at a critical juncture today. A highly significant hearing in the much-discussed job cancellation case is scheduled for today, October 29th, at the Calcutta High Court. The hearing will take place before the division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Ritabrata Kumar Mitra, with lakhs of job aspirants and their families eagerly awaiting the outcome. According to the available information, the hearing is expected to commence after 2 PM, following the lunch break.

Background of the Case

This case has put the transparency of the state’s primary teacher recruitment process under intense scrutiny. During the last hearing, eminent lawyer for the petitioners, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, alleged widespread corruption in the recruitment process. He termed it a “systematic fraud”. His primary allegations included:

• Rank Jumping: It was alleged that many candidates with lower marks secured jobs by surpassing candidates who had scored higher and were placed higher on the rank list.
• Unfair Advantage: Certain candidates were given undue advantages through unethical means.
• Priority for Petitioners: The petitioners’ advocates argued for giving priority in recruitment to their clients.

Judges’ Observations and Today’s Significance

The observations made by the division bench during the previous hearing were highly significant. The judges orally remarked that if it is proven that someone secured a job through corruption or unethical means, their job is highly likely to be cancelled. However, at the same time, the judges also noted that it might not be justifiable to scrap the entire recruitment process for the actions of a few corrupt individuals. This observation brought some relief to deserving candidates.

Today’s hearing could play a decisive role in determining the future of this case. After the strong arguments presented by Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya in the last session, the lawyer for the West Bengal Board of Primary Education is expected to present their counter-arguments today. Much will depend on how the Board refutes the serious allegations of “systematic fraud” and “rank jumping”. The judges will decide their next course of action or issue further directions based on the Board’s arguments. Every moment of today’s hearing is, therefore, extremely crucial.