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Bengal govt hired 222 school staff who failed test: Probe panel tells Calcutta HC
A few hundred petitioners, who moved court in 2020, have alleged that unqualified people were given jobs in exchange for money.
Kolkata: The West Bengal government recruited 222 people as Group-C staff in schools two years ago on the recommendations of the school service commission (SSC) although they did not pass the written test, an inquiry committee report placed before the Calcutta high court on Friday has indicated.
Lawyers representing genuine applicants, whose petition to the court has demanded a probe into the alleged SSC recruitment scam by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), said the appointments were made after the tenure of the recruitment panel expired in May 2019.
A few hundred petitioners, who moved court in 2020, have alleged that unqualified people were given jobs in exchange for money.
The high court entrusted retired judge Ranjit Kumar Bag with the investigation. The division bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar is expected to pass its order on May 18.
The inquiry report has held 11 senior government officials responsible for the irregularities and has recommended police investigation against six people, including secondary education board president Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay and former advisor to SSC, Shanti Prasad Sinha, said lawyers who saw the report.
The inquiry report said that 381 people were appointed as Group C staff. Of them, 222 candidates had neither passed the written examination nor did they appear for the personality test, said Arunava Banerjee, one of the lawyers who are representing the people who did not get jobs despite appearing for all tests.
The report has said that Sinha gave letters, recommending the appointment of disqualified candidates, to Gangopadhyay.
During the same recruitment process, more than 600 people got jobs as Group-D staff. These appointments have been challenged as well.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has upped the ante on this issue.
“The inquiry has exposed widespread nepotism and corruption in the Mamata Banerjee administration. When millions of youths are crying for jobs the government took bribes to recruit unfit people,” said leader of the opposition in the Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) state general secretary Kunal Ghosh refused to react.
“Only the government can comment on this,” he said.
The appointments took place when TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee was education minister.
Chatterjee was not available for comments. His successor, Bratya Basu, did not talk to the media till Friday evening.
