No real relief, say affected teachers after Supreme Court ruling
Kolkata: Though the Supreme Court has allowed ‘untainted’ teachers to continue in service until December 31, 2025, many have called the decision a “temporary fix” that offers “no real relief.”
The ruling followed a plea by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education to keep schools running. It applies only to Secondary and Higher Secondary teachers not involved in recruitment irregularities. Still, even they must sit for a fresh exam, as the court clarified this is merely a stop-
gap arrangement.
“This is not a permanent solution. If our OMR sheets were validated by the CBI and the court, why must we prove ourselves again?” asked Mehabub Mondal, a protesting teacher at Dharmatala. “Professionals in other fields aren’t asked to repeat the same test.”
Mathematics teacher Jayatri Bauli echoed the frustration, saying: “This isn’t a relief. A real solution would let us work until retirement without this uncertainty.”
Teachers are also demanding official termination letters for those found ‘tainted’ to clearly distinguish them from the eligible. Some have called for re-evaluation of all OMR sheets, publication of a corrected merit list, and fresh interviews.
“We will not take the test again. Let them explain what our fault is,” said Pratap Roy Chowdhury, another affected teacher. “We’re being forced to compete again with fresh candidates,” said Illius Ali.
Though teachers have agreed to return to schools to avoid contempt of court, protests will continue. Demonstrations have been planned for April 18, 19, 21 and 22, including rallies and deputation submissions.
Meanwhile, resentment is growing among Group C and D employees, who received no relief. Sushanta Sikdar, a Group D staff member, called the ruling “heartbreaking.” “We were caught in the same controversy.
If teachers got temporary relief, why were we excluded?” he asked. Mondal added, “Schools run with the help of non-teaching staff too. Many of them are ‘untainted’. They deserve the same chance.”
