Calcutta HC allows pleas challenging WBSSC teacher recruitment notification

Calcutta High Court allows challenges to West Bengal teacher recruitment process; Supreme Court orders fresh recruitment.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday (June 3, 2025) granted permission to file pleas challenging the West Bengal government’s notification on this year’s teacher recruitment process. These pleas are expected to be heard by a vacation Bench of the court later this week.

On May 30, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) and the State Education Department issued a notification for the State Level Selection Test (SLST) for the recruitment of assistant teachers for classes 9 to 12 in government-run and government-aided schools. Concurrently, the State government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking modifications to the top court’s April 3 order.

The Supreme Court had cancelled nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching appointments made through the 2016 recruitment process, calling it “vitiated and tainted”. On April 17, the top court directed that fresh recruitment be initiated by May 31 and completed by December 31.

While many among the affected group of sacked teachers have reiterated their demand to be exempted from the new process, a section of waitlisted candidates from the 2016 panel have moved the Calcutta High Court against the 2025 notification itself.

A large section of the protestors and litigants who had earlier challenged the 2016 appointments had claimed that, despite clearing the examination, they were denied jobs due to irregularities in the selection process.

The current petitioners, who identify themselves as among those deprived, have argued that the latest recruitment guidelines violate the Supreme Court’s directives. In particular, they have objected to provisions in the notification that appear to favour sacked teachers — such as the allocation of an additional 10 marks for prior teaching experience.

Notably, no such provision existed in the 2016 recruitment. The Supreme Court, in its April 17 order, had clarified: “We clarify that this order shall not be read as conferring any special right or advantage on the aforesaid teachers, insofar as the fresh recruitment process is concerned.”