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‘How can employees be asked to return salary’: Mamata Banerjee questions HC order
Mamata Banerjee said it seems justice is shedding tears in isolation and alleged that the high court’s order was passed under instructions from the Bharatiya Janata Party
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Friday questioned the Calcutta high court’s April 22 order which cancelled the appointment of all 25,753 people empaneled in 2016 for various jobs at secondary and higher secondary schools asking a section of these employees to return their entire salary with 12% interest.
“Persons who had been appointed outside the panel, after expiry of the panel as also those who submitted blank OMR (Optical Marks Recognition) sheets but obtained appointments, must return all remunerations and benefits received by them to the state exchequer along with interest calculated at 12 percent per annum from the date of receipt thereof till deposit, within a period of four weeks from date,” said the order, a copy of which was seen by HT.
“How can a person who has put in labour be asked to return the wages? This comes under his right to work. It seems justice is shedding tears in isolation,” Banerjee said on Friday at a Lok Sabha campaign rally at the Ghatal constituency which covers parts of East and West Midnapore districts.
“We will not spare those who gobble up 26,000 jobs,” Banerjee said, repeating her allegation that the order was passed under instructions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On April 22, the Calcutta high court division bench hearing the bribe-for-job scam case cancelled the entire panel of 2016. Those who lost jobs include secondary (Class 9 and 10) and higher secondary (Class 11 and 12) teachers as well as Group C and D staff. These people have hit the streets demanding justice.
The Bengal government has already challenged the order at the Supreme Court.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who campaigned at Bengal’s Malda district on Friday, took up the issue in his speech.
“The school recruitment scam is so big that 26,000 families have lost their livelihood. Poor people who took loans to bribe TMC leaders (to get the jobs) are now burdened by debt,” Modi said.
The alleged scam, which has been probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) since 2022, has triggered a row in Bengal during the polls.
In May 2022, the Calcutta high court ordered CBI to probe the appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C and D) and teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) and West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) between 2014 and 2021. The appointees allegedly paid bribes in the range of ₹5-15 lakh to get jobs after failing the selection tests. ED initiated a parallel investigation.
Bengal BJP chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said: “We will not comment on a matter which is sub judice. None but Mamata Banerjee is responsible for this unpleasant situation. She is making these statements to confuse people.”
