West Bengal 'Untainted' Teachers Protest as Reappointment Counselling Halted

Kolkata, August 12: A group of teachers, who were cleared of wrongdoing in the West Bengal school recruitment scam, resumed their protest on Wednesday after the counselling process for their reappointment was postponed indefinitely. The West Bengal Central School Service Commission issued a notification on August 11, adjourning the counselling for candidates empanelled under the second State Level Selection Test (Assistant Teachers), 2025, for Classes XI–XII, scheduled to begin on August 14.

The teachers, referred to as 'untainted' candidates, had been appointed in 2016 under a panel that was later scrapped by the Supreme Court due to irregularities in the recruitment process. The court did not find evidence of corruption against these individuals, but directed a fresh selection, requiring them to appear for the examination again.

According to the commission's notification, the counselling has been 'adjourned until further notice.' Most of the 15,403 such teachers had cleared the fresh examination and made it to the final merit list. While some had already attended counselling, others were awaiting their turn when the process was halted.

A protesting teacher said, "Some of us have proved our merit twice. We kept faith in the system even though it failed us the first time. We passed the exam again after nine years, yet the counselling process has stopped. We are headed towards death now."

The resumption of protests comes amid an additional complication: the government has reduced the reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates from 17% to 7%. The reduction was implemented after the examination had been conducted, raising concerns among candidates who had prepared under the earlier rules.

Mehboob Mondal, a leader of the Joggya Sikkhak Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha (Deserving Teachers' Rights Forum), said, "This has added an unnecessary level of complication to the recruitment process. What is the need for this new rule in the middle of the hiring process? When Suvendu Adhikari was not in power, they had promised that the 'untainted' teachers and staff members would get their jobs back. We want him to keep his promise."

The teachers have been demanding the restoration of their jobs with dignity. Their earlier protests, held over several months in 2025, saw some demonstrators facing police action. They have repeatedly appealed to the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court, arguing that no investigation found evidence of corruption against them. However, the courts did not restore their appointments and directed the state to conduct a fresh selection process.

The indefinite postponement of counselling has left the affected candidates in a state of uncertainty. They maintain that they have complied with all requirements and deserve to be reappointed without further delay. Many of these teachers have spent nearly a decade seeking justice, and the latest administrative decision has deepened their distress.