Calcutta HC Division Bench upholds order for CBI probe in teacher recruitment scam

The Division Bench also directed that the probe would be monitored by the Single Bench.

In yet another setback to the West Bengal government, a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday upheld an order of its Single Bench directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate alleged irregularities in primary teacher appointments. The Division Bench, comprising justices Subrata Talukder and Lapita Banerji, also directed that the investigation would be monitored by the Single Bench.

 The court had directed that Single Bench order terminating 269 appointees from their jobs would remain till the disposal of the case before the Single Bench. The appointees have selectively got the benefit of one additional mark from the West Bengal Primary Education Board. Advocate Firdous Shamim, who had approached the High Court, said that the Division Bench had upheld the order of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay. Senior Counsel Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya who had also appeared for the petitioners welcomed the order and said that irregularities in appointment of teachers required thorough investigation.

 During the day, the Student Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), held protests in different parts of the city against the scam. Senior CPI (M) leaders participated in a public meeting organised by the SFI in Kolkata where Left Front chairman Biman Bose alleged massive irregularities in the recruitment process and raised questions as to how family members of Trinamool Congress leaders had got appointment as teachers in the State-run school.

The CBI is investigating several cases of irregularities in the recruitment held by the West Bengal School Service Commission as per directions of Calcutta High Court . State’s Minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpiita Mukherjee were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 23 after huge cash was recovered from their properties.