No termination for 32,000 West Bengal primary teachers: Calcutta HC

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday set aside a single bench order that annulled appointments of 32,000 primary school teachers in West Bengal.

Dismissing the 2023 order of justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay over irregularities in connection with the recruitment of 32,000 primary teachers in state-run schools, the division bench of justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and justice Ritabrata Kumar Mitra observed that the innocent teachers and their families cannot suffer after nine years of employment.

"Any such direction for re-examination would fail to secure fair play in action. A job taken away after about nine years of service would indisputably cause insurmountable inconvenience to the appellants and their survival along with their family members who would be at stake. In such circumstances and considering the enormity of the impact, we are not inclined to uphold the cancellation of appointment of the 32,000 teachers, who have worked in the post for a long period," the order read.


Advocate Ashish Kumar Chowdhury told media persons, "The HC has retained the jobs of the 32,000 primary teachers saying that the innocent cannot suffer for the fault of the authority. The court observed the employment of these 32,000 teachers will be retained as the innocent teachers are not involved in any corruption. The court rejected the single-bench order by justice Gangopadhyay. It observed that CBI has already identified the tainted candidates."

The six-month-long arguments in the case ended on November 12. The hearing at HC's division bench had started on April 28.

Welcoming the HC order, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, "We respect the judicial process. I am happy that our teachers, our brothers and sisters, got their jobs back. I am happy that the teachers have received justice. Going to court and taking the jobs is not correct. There is a need to give jobs."

State education minister Bratya Basu hailed the order on X and wrote, "In the context of the judgement delivered today by the honourable high court's division bench, I extend my congratulations to the Primary Education Board. The judgement of the high court's single bench has been annulled. The jobs of 32,000 primary school teachers remain fully secure. My best wishes also to the teachers. Truth has triumphed."