West Bengal SSC recruitment case: SC stays CBI probe; sets May 6 to hear state govt's plea

The Supreme Court of India on Monday stayed the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) probe into recruitment of School Service Commission (SSC) teachers till further orders.

The top court also set May 6 as date for further hearing West Bengal Government's plea against the Calcutta High Court decision which declared the entire panel of 2016 SSC teachers' recruitment null and void and also cancelled appointments of 24,000 teachers and non-teaching staff.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday had said that her government will challenge the verdict "as it affects 1.5-2 lakh families."


The state CM had said, "We challenge the verdict, as it affects 1.5-2 lakh families. Is it possible to return the salary of eight years in 4 weeks?"

Those who were improperly appointed have been ordered by the court to repay their salaries within six weeks.

What is the scam?
In 2014, the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) announced that the State Level Selection Test SLST would be used to recruit teachers for West Bengal's state-run schools.

The actual recruitment process began in 2016. However, this process was met with numerous challenges, including several petitions filed in the Calcutta High Court alleging irregularities in the recruitment process.

The petitioners claimed that many candidates who received lower grades were placed higher on the merit list, raising concerns about the fairness of the selection process. Furthermore, there were allegations that individuals who did not even make the merit list received appointment letters.