West Bengal SSC Scam: Over 25,000 Teacher Appointments Cancelled by Supreme Court – What It Means for the Future

KKN Gurugram Desk | In 2016, the School Service Commission (SSC) in West Bengal conducted recruitment for thousands of teaching and non-teaching posts. The process seemed normal—until Babita Sarkar, a candidate, discovered that despite scoring high marks, her name was removed from the merit list, replaced by a minister’s daughter with lower marks.

The issue escalated, reaching both the Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court, leading to CBI and ED investigations.

⚖️ Supreme Court Upholds High Court Verdict

On April 4, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s 2023 decision, invalidating the entire 2016 SSC panel. Over 25,000 appointments have been cancelled.

✅ Relief Clause: Only 7,000 candidates who left OMR sheets blank will need to return salaries

Earlier, everyone was ordered to repay their earnings. Now, only those with blank OMRs are held accountable.

🗣️ Voices of the Displaced Teachers

🔹 Deepak Mandal:

“We’ve been stuck between hope and despair. Now it feels like we’ve hit a dead end.”

🔹 Pranab Barman:

“I earned this job on merit. Now I’m clueless about the future.”

🕵️‍♀️ How the Scam Was Executed

• Marks were illegally increased post-evaluation.

• Fake OMR sheets were allegedly inserted.

• Original answer sheets were destroyed.

This was confirmed in the report by Justice Ranjit Bag Committee and findings by CBI/ED.

🏛️ Mamata Banerjee’s Response

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held an urgent meeting with top officials. She stated:

“A few people’s wrongdoings have punished thousands. We’ll begin fresh recruitment within 3 months.”

🔜 Teachers’ Meeting Scheduled on April 7 at Netaji Indoor Stadium

She appealed for patience from the affected teachers and confirmed the government’s commitment to justice.

🏫 Impact on Schools: “Who Will Teach Now?”

• Jamtala Bhagabachandra High School: 11 teachers lost jobs

• Arjunpur High School, Murshidabad: 36 out of 60 gone

🔹 Principal Shantanu Ghosal:

“Most of them taught math and science. We are in an academic crisis now.”

🔥 Political Firestorm

• BJP: “TMC’s corruption has destroyed the education system.”

• CPM: “Equal treatment to qualified and unqualified is unjust.”

• Congress: “Mamata is directly responsible.”

The Supreme Court’s verdict is a massive shakeup in West Bengal’s education system. While corruption must not be spared, the qualified candidates now face deep uncertainty.

Mamata Banerjee’s promise of fair recruitment is the only hope. The next 3 months will decide whether justice and merit finally prevail.