SLST Case Update: A New Turn with the Supreme Court’s Order

SLST Case Update: In a significant hearing of the SLST case, the bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar at the Supreme Court has issued several crucial directives. There was widespread anxiety among job aspirants regarding this case, and today’s hearing is believed to have alleviated much of that. Let’s delve into the details.

The Court’s Key Directives

• Publication of ‘Tainted’ Candidates’ List: The court has ordered the School Service Commission (SSC) to publish a list of ‘tainted’ candidates within seven days. This list must be made public.
• ‘Tainted’ Candidates Barred from Exam: The court has explicitly stated that no ‘tainted’ candidate will be allowed to sit for the examination, and no admit card will be issued in their name.
• No Postponement of Exam: The judges clarified that there is no need to postpone the exam. The SSC also indicated that it does not wish to postpone it.
• Age Relaxation: All eligible and non-tainted candidates who were in-service will be granted age relaxation to appear in the exams scheduled for the 7th and 14th.

SSC’s Stance and the Court’s Reaction

The SSC’s counsel, Kalyan Banerjee, informed the court that admit cards were issued provisionally and that ‘tainted’ candidates would be filtered out during the final verification process. However, the court was unwilling to accept this argument. The judges gave a clear directive that ‘tainted’ candidates cannot appear for the exam under any circumstances. Mr. Banerjee also stated that approximately 1900 candidates have been identified as ‘tainted’. The court ordered the publication of a list of all ‘tainted’ candidates who applied and declared their applications cancelled.

Concerns Over Vacancies

Lawyers representing eligible teachers pointed out in court that the SSC has not published a subject-wise and category-wise list of vacancies. They also alleged discrepancies between the 2016 vacancy list and the 2025 list, with the number of vacancies in some subjects having decreased or become zero. The court has indicated that the SSC will need to respond to this matter.

Final Order

In its final order, the court has stated that the examination will proceed on the scheduled dates of the 7th and 14th. Instructions have been given to ensure that genuinely eligible candidates can sit for the exam without hindrance and that no ‘tainted’ candidate is allowed to appear. The directive to publish the list of ‘tainted’ candidates within seven days was reiterated.

This verdict comes as a great relief to the job aspirants. It now remains to be seen how transparently the SSC implements the court’s orders and how smooth the future recruitment process will be.