State PCS - West Bengal (WBCS)

• 07 Apr 2025

SC Judgement on West Bengal Schools Recruitment Scam

Why in News? 

• The Supreme Court while upholding the quashing of nearly 25000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments made by the West Bengal School Selection Commission (WBSSC) in 2016, laid down key principles to be considered by the Court when dealing with challenges to appointments in government employment. 

Key Points  

• Background: The recruitments made in 2016 by the WBSSC were linked to the cash-for-school jobs recruitment “scam”. The SSC had held the selection process in 2016 for assistant teachers for classes nine to 12 and non-teaching staff. 
• SC Judgement: 
  • The Supreme Court bench upheld the Calcutta HC's finding that the selection process was fraudulent and manipulated. 
    • Tainted candidates’ services will be terminated, and salaries must be refunded. 
    • The entire selection process was declared void for violating Articles 14 (Equality before Law) and Article 16 (Equality in matters of public employment) of the Indian Constitution.  
    • Even untainted candidates will lose jobs but need not refund salaries. 
    • No future appointments can be made from the scrapped process. 
• SC’s 4 Key Principles to Strike Down Tainted Selection Processes: 
  • Entire exam results will be cancelled if in-depth inquiry signals fraud in process. 
  • The evidence used to cancel en masse selection may not necessarily prove malpractice beyond reasonable doubt (but just a reasonable certainty of systemic corruption). 
  • If deep manipulation in the process is proven, purity of the process has to be given precedence over inconvenience to untainted candidates. 
  • If it is factually established that the entire process is vitiated, individual hearings are not necessary.