SSC SLST Case: High Court Orders Newspaper Notification Regarding SSC SLST Experience Marks
SSC SLST Case: Another significant turn has emerged in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment case at the Calcutta High Court. Amidst the ongoing complications regarding the 10 marks allocated for experience in the SLST recruitment process, Justice Amrita Sinha has issued a major directive. The legal battle regarding the validity and distribution of these 10 marks is currently at its peak, and in this context, the court has ordered the Commission to publish a notification in newspapers to maintain transparency.
Context of the Legal Battle Over Experience Marks
Long arguments have taken place in court regarding who is eligible for the 10 marks allocated for experience in teacher recruitment and how it should be distributed. Advocates Anindya Mitra and Pratik Dhar, representing the petitioners, raised several legal points. Their main argument was whether it is possible to change the rules in the middle of the recruitment process.
According to the lawyers’ arguments, the “Rules of the Game” cannot be changed once the game has started. That is, the rules that existed at the time of the recruitment notification cannot be legally altered at a later stage. Furthermore, questions were raised about the definition of “Secondary Level.” It was claimed that there is a lack of clarity in the SSC rules regarding whether only schools in West Bengal are referred to, or if experience from schools outside the state will also be considered. Additionally, ambiguity was highlighted regarding whether “Substantive Post” refers only to permanent positions or if contractual teachers also fall under this category.
Judge’s Observation: The Importance of 1 Mark
During the hearing, Justice Sinha made a very significant observation. She clearly stated that in a competitive examination where a difference of just 1 mark can change a candidate’s future, 10 marks create a massive gap. For the sake of 1 mark, someone can be eliminated from the merit list, while another might secure a job. Therefore, there is no scope to take the matter of these 10 marks lightly.
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Join on TelegramHigh Court Directive and Notification Details
Justice Amrita Sinha has ordered that the Commission must inform the general public that this case and the matter regarding the 10 marks for experience are currently sub-judice (under judicial consideration). This step is taken to ensure that no candidate can claim in the future that they were unaware of this case.
The key parts of the court’s directives are given below:
| Subject | Directive |
|---|---|
| Publication of Notice | SSC must issue a public notice in both Bengali and English newspapers. |
| Gist of Notification | It must be clarified that the SLST recruitment and the issue of 10 marks for experience are dependent on the final verdict of the court. |
| Opportunity to Join | Those who may be affected by this case can join or become a party to the case if they wish. |
What is the Next Step?
Although the court has not set a specific deadline, it has been stated that this notification should be published as soon as possible. The next hearing date for this case has been fixed for Thursday, December 5th. How the issue of experience marks will be viewed in light of the Supreme Court’s order cancelling 26,000 jobs (which is currently stayed) may also become important in the next hearing.
Thousands of job aspirants are now looking forward to seeing how quickly the Commission publishes this notification and what verdict the court delivers on December 5th.
