Ganguly declines invite to participate in WB school recruitment scam protest

A group of teachers who lost their jobs following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the WBSSC recruitment scam visited former India captain Sourav Ganguly’s residence in Kolkata on Thursday, inviting him to join a march to the West Bengal state secretariat.

However, according to a report by ABP Ananda, the 52-year-old turned down their invitation. The teachers, who had gathered to rally for justice, were hopeful of Ganguly’s support for the march scheduled on April 21. Despite their hopes, Ganguly responded with a clear message: “Please don`t involve me in politics.”

The controversy surrounding the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam has taken a dramatic turn following a recent Supreme Court verdict. In its ruling, the Court granted a lifeline to teachers whose appointments were canceled earlier this month due to irregularities in the recruitment process. These teachers, however, are subject to the condition that they have no direct connection to any of the irregularities uncovered during the investigation of the 2016 appointments. The relief, notably, applies only to those teaching students in classes 9, 10, 11, and 12.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court emphasised that the welfare of students must remain a priority. The Court provided a crucial timeline for the resumption of the recruitment process, instructing the Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) to release advertisements for fresh recruitment by May 31. The selection process is to be completed by December 31, 2025.

Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, remarked, “We are inclined to accept the prayer made in the application in so far as it relates to the assistant teachers of classes 9 and 10 and classes 11 and 12, subject to the condition that the ad for fresh recruitment shall be out by May 31 and the exam, including the entire process, shall be done by December 31.”

Furthermore, the Court set strict deadlines for compliance, stating that the state government and the SSC must file an affidavit by May 31 detailing the advertisement and schedule to ensure that the recruitment process is completed by the end of the year. “In case the ad is not published as directed, appropriate orders shall be passed, including imposition of costs,” added the Chief Justice.