SSC Supreme Court: Supreme Court Overturns High Court Order on SSC Recruitment Age Relaxation

SSC Supreme Court: In a significant turn of events regarding the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment saga, the Supreme Court of India has intervened in the interim order passed by the Calcutta High Court’s Single Bench. The apex court has set aside the previous directive concerning age relaxation for candidates in the 2016 recruitment process, providing temporary relief to the Commission. On Thursday, the bench clarified that the matter requires a detailed hearing and has remanded the case back to the Calcutta High Court for reconsideration.

Supreme Court’s Observation and Context

The hearing took place in Court Number 12 of the Supreme Court. The central issue revolved around the Single Bench’s order regarding ‘Age Relaxation’ for non-teaching staff. The Supreme Court Justices observed that the Learned Single Bench might have misinterpreted or misunderstood the judgment of the ‘Arunima Pal’ case. The apex court questioned the rationale behind the Single Bench’s order, especially noting that the Division Bench had not granted such an opportunity in similar contexts.

Commission’s Argument vs. Petitioners’ Claims

Advocate Kalyan Banerjee, representing the School Service Commission, presented strong arguments before the court. He highlighted that approximately 21 to 26 lakh candidates participated in the 2016 recruitment process. He argued that granting age relaxation to such a massive number of candidates is practically impossible. The Commission further alleged that the Single Bench has been passing “innovative orders” daily without allowing proper exchange of affidavits, making it difficult for the Commission to function effectively.

On the other hand, Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, appearing for the petitioners, countered these claims. He clarified that they are not seeking age relaxation for all 26 lakh candidates, but strictly for the ‘untainted’ candidates currently on the waiting list. He expressed apprehension that the Commission intends to delay the process under the pretext of filing affidavits.

The Final Verdict and Directions

After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court issued the following directions:

• Intervention in Interim Order: The Supreme Court has interfered with the Single Bench’s interim order. Consequently, the requirement to publish the list of untainted candidates by December 5th stands effectively stayed for now.
• Remanded to High Court: The matter has been sent back to the Learned Single Bench of the Calcutta High Court. The court must now hear all parties in detail and ensure the exchange of affidavits before passing any further orders.
• Future Proceedings: The detailed hearing is expected to resume in the High Court after the vacation period (approximately three weeks). The Supreme Court has explicitly instructed the High Court to pass a “reasonable order” to prevent the matter from repeatedly reaching the apex court.

Meanwhile, the Commission has indicated its intention to complete the recruitment process for Group C and Group D posts by January or February. All eyes are now on the Calcutta High Court to see how this legal battle unfolds in the coming weeks.