WBSSC cash-for-job case: Protesting teachers will now extend ambit of agitation to New Delhi

Kolkata, May 26 (IANS) Government school teachers in West Bengal who have been protesting against their job loss following an order of the Supreme Court last month in the cash-for-job case, will now take their demonstrations beyond Kolkata to the national Capital.

This was announced by the protesting teachers who have united under the banner of the ‘Jogyo Shikshak-Shikshika Adhikar Mancha (Genuine Teachers’ Rights Forum)’ after a few representatives of the forum had a meeting with the state education secretary on Monday afternoon.

After the meeting, the forum representatives expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of the West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu from the discussion.

After the meeting, the delegation members told media persons that they had requested the state education department to refrain from publishing notifications or advertisements for fresh recruitments for the vacant posts unless the results of the review petition against the order filed by both the state government and the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) surface.

Last month the Supreme Court, while ordering the cancellation of jobs of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools, directed the state government to start the fresh recruitment process by issuing notifications and publishing advertisements on this count by May 31.

Now, with just five days left before the deadline ends, the protesting teachers have demanded that the state government refrain from issuing such notifications and advertisements till the results of the review petitions surface.

However, legal experts feel that in case the state government refrains from issuing such notifications and advertisements by May 31 succumbing to the demand of the protesting teachers, then a contempt-of-court petition is inevitable.

Thereafter, the forum representatives announced the expansion of the ambit of their protests beyond Kolkata to New Delhi.

“Let the entire country know what kind of injustice we faced despite being ‘untainted’ ones. That is why we have decided now to organise protest demonstrations in New Delhi besides the one we are holding in Kolkata,” said a forum representative.

On April 3, a Supreme Court Bench comprising then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a previous order of the Calcutta High Court that annulled 25,753 school appointments made through the WBSSC.

The apex court observed that the panel had to be scrapped entirely due to the authorities' failure to distinguish between ‘tainted’ and ‘untainted’ candidates.

The state government and the WBSSC have since filed review petitions in the Supreme Court seeking reconsideration of the order.

--IANS

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