SSC SLST Experience Case: 10-Mark Tangle for Experience in Teacher Recruitment! When Will Marks Be Added? What Happened in the High Court Hearing

SSC SLST Experience Case: The debate continues over the 10 marks allocated for experienced teachers in the SSC teacher recruitment process. Complications have arisen regarding when these marks should be added. Today, several related cases were heard in the courtroom of Justice Amrita Sinha at the Calcutta High Court, where lawyers from various sides presented their arguments. The future of the recruitment process depends on this hearing.

Key Issues of the Case

In today’s session, three different cases, all related to the 10 marks for teaching experience, were heard together.

• Firstly, a case was filed demanding that these 10 marks should not be awarded to experienced teachers at all.
• Secondly, another case questioned the timing of the allocation—whether the marks should be added before or after the interview.
• Thirdly, a petition was filed to prevent teachers from the ninth-tenth level (Secondary) from getting the benefit of teaching experience for recruitment at the eleventh-twelfth level (Higher Secondary).

Arguments in the Court

At the beginning of the hearing, SSC’s advocate, Kalyan Banerjee, stated that all these issues had already been challenged in the Supreme Court. He mentioned that the apex court had dismissed those cases and directed the recruitment process to move forward. According to him, since the Supreme Court found no inconsistencies in the rules, the case holds no ground in the High Court’s single bench.

On the other hand, the petitioners’ advocate, Bikash Bhattacharya, argued that the specific issue of whether the 10 marks should be added before or after the interview was never challenged in the Supreme Court. He clarified, “We have not challenged the entire rule, only the specific part about when the 10 marks will be added.”

The state’s Advocate General (AG), Kishore Dutta, explained that this rule was framed to ensure “Quality Education.” He argued that the provision to add experience marks with the written test score before the interview is meant to give priority to experienced teachers. If it is added later, many deserving experienced teachers might not even get a chance to appear for the interview.

Confusion in Rules and the Judge’s Observation

A significant point of confusion arose during the hearing regarding the terms ‘Academic’ and ‘Academics’ in the rules. One advocate pointed out that the rule mentions ‘Academic,’ which does not include teaching experience, whereas ‘Academics’ would imply its inclusion.

Justice Amrita Sinha questioned this ambiguity in the rules. She remarked, “Why is there so much confusion in your rules? A lot depends on a single letter ‘s’.”

SSC’s advocate Kalyan Banerjee clarified that the interview list would be prepared based on the written test and ‘Academic’ score (which includes both academic qualifications and teaching experience). He assured that there is no question of adding these marks twice.

What’s Next?

After hearing all arguments, the Justice noted that a related case is scheduled for hearing in the Supreme Court on the 24th. If the apex court rules against granting experience marks, these High Court cases will become irrelevant. However, if the decision is in favour of awarding the marks, the question of when to add them will become crucial. Therefore, the next detailed hearing for this case has been scheduled for the 28th. The resolution of this complex issue is expected after that day’s verdict.