New Fight Over Expired Panel in the Primary Teacher Recruitment at Supreme Court

Primary Teacher Recruitment: A new case regarding primary teacher recruitment has been filed in the Supreme Court, creating a stir among job aspirants in West Bengal. Titled Ganesh Ata vs. West Bengal Board of Primary Education, the case involves the appointment of 252 teachers and has been filed as a curative petition, which is considered the final stage of the legal process.

Background of the Case

The case stems from a recruitment notification by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education for 16,500 assistant teachers. After the recruitment process, it was found that 3,929 vacancies remained unfilled despite the presence of many eligible candidates. Now 252 job seekers demanded that they be appointed to these remaining posts, arguing that it was their rightful claim. The diary number of this new case is 56264/2025, filed on September 26, 2025. It is a curative petition filed against the judgment of a review petition, numbered 1167/2025.

Supreme Court’s Previous Observations

The Supreme Court had previously made some important observations that could influence the outcome of this case:

• Expiry of the Panel: The court had clarified that the panel or merit list from which the appointments were being claimed was published on February 15, 2021, and its validity expired on February 15, 2022, after one year, as per Rule 12 of the Recruitment Rules 2016.
• Initiation of a New Recruitment Process: The court also noted that appointments from the old panel were not possible because a new recruitment process had already begun. Ordering appointments from an expired panel would create legal complications.
• Delay in Application: The applicants had approached the court in May 2022, long after the panel’s validity had expired, which weakened their claim. The court had observed that there were no apparent errors in the previous judgments and had therefore dismissed the review petition.

What is a Curative Petition?

A curative petition is a special opportunity in the judicial system where applicants try to prove that there was a grave error in the previous judgments or that the principles of justice were violated. However, courts rarely accept such petitions.

What’s Next?

The case has not yet been listed for hearing. Once listed, the court will decide on its admissibility. The future of these 252 job aspirants now depends entirely on the Supreme Court’s verdict. If the court accepts the petition and rules in their favor, it will be a historic event. However, considering the previous judgments and the legal context, the path seems quite difficult.