Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her intervention in the case of thousands of school teachers in West Bengal who lost their jobs after the Supreme Court upheld the cancellation of the state’s 2016 teacher recruitment process.
In his letter dated April 7, Gandhi highlighted concerns raised by the Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Mancha, a platform representing the affected teachers. They requested his support after the Calcutta High Court declared the entire recruitment process by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) as invalid due to widespread irregularities — a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court on April 3.
Gandhi emphasized that while the courts found serious manipulation and fraud in the selection process, some candidates were selected through fair means. He argued that terminating both tainted and untainted candidates without distinction is a “serious injustice.”
“Any crime committed during recruitment must be condemned,” Gandhi wrote, “but treating honest teachers on par with those selected unfairly punishes the innocent and undermines justice.”
He stressed that many of these fairly-selected teachers have served for nearly a decade, and their sudden termination would lead to staff shortages in classrooms, affecting lakhs of students and devastating the livelihoods of the teachers and their families.
“Madam President, you have served as a teacher yourself. I am sure you understand the human cost of this injustice,” he wrote, urging her to ask the government to allow untainted candidates to retain their jobs.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also voiced strong criticism of the Supreme Court verdict. Meeting with dismissed teachers, Banerjee alleged a “conspiracy to destroy the education system”, defending the merit and achievements of many of those affected. She claimed the state was not given a chance to distinguish deserving candidates from those selected unfairly, and vowed to continue supporting them.
Banerjee said the government has engaged senior legal experts, including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Prashant Bhushan, to examine possible legal recourse.
The Supreme Court, in its April 3 ruling, cited widespread manipulation, fraud, and a failed cover-up in the recruitment process. It concluded that the selection had been “vitiated beyond repair”, leading to the cancellation of appointments for over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and aided schools.
This development has sparked a wider debate about accountability in public recruitment, the rights of employees hired in good faith, and the impact of sweeping judicial orders on livelihoods and public education.
