‘Post legal advice, may publish ‘tainted’ & ‘untainted’ staff list within 2 weeks’

Kolkata: West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) may publish a list of ‘tainted’ and ‘untainted’ qualified teachers and non-teaching staff within two weeks, subject to legal consultation, state Education Minister Bratya Basu said on Friday.

The announcement came after a key meeting with representatives of those who lost their job following a recent Supreme Court verdict.

The meeting, held at Bikash Bhawan on Friday, was attended by 13 representatives of affected teachers and non-teaching staff.

Key officials, including Siddhartha Majumder, chairman of the WBSSC, Ramanuj Ganguly, president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) and Binod Kumar, principal secretary of the Education department, were also present.

Following the two-hour discussion, Basu said there was no fundamental disagreement with the demands raised by the representatives.

“Their demands are fair. However, due to the Supreme Court’s order, we will need to seek legal advice before taking any steps,” he stated.

One of the primary demands was that the WBSSC should publish the list of qualified and unqualified candidates based on data received from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The minister confirmed that the Commission holds such data and has submitted it to court multiple times through affidavits.

“There is no objection from our side or from the WBSSC to publishing the list online, provided legal clearance is obtained. We hope to resolve this matter within one and a half to two weeks,” Basu said.

Addressing concerns about salaries and legal remedies, Basu confirmed that both the state government and the WBSSC plan to file review petitions in the Supreme Court.

“We will go for a review as soon as possible. We hope the affected but eligible teachers will also do the same. We have already sought clarification. The hearing is on April 17 and depending on its outcome, we will be able to comment more specifically,” he said.

The Minister also mentioned that the hearing would reflect the political stance of various parties involved.

“The April 17 hearing will show clearly who is standing against the WBBSE’s appeal. The public will understand who truly wants deserving candidates to retain their jobs, and who wants even the eligible ones removed. It will become clear who is shedding crocodile tears and who is sincerely standing by the affected,” Basu stated.

Chinmay Mondal, a teacher representative, said the delegation had clearly presented all their points during the meeting. He expressed cautious optimism that the list of eligible and tainted staff might be released by April 21, depending on legal advice.

Other demands, including the publication of over 22 lakh OMR sheets, are also being reviewed legally. “Officials said that the CBI-submitted documents are all they have. If mirror image records had existed, the CBI would have found them,” Mondal said.

Another teacher representative, Mehbub Mondal, reiterated that their movement would continue until the Supreme Court delivers a favourable judgment on the review petition.

However, the meeting participants distanced themselves from a hunger strike ongoing near the WBSSC office. Basu also noted that a small group seemed to be taking a more aggressive route, which could be politically motivated.