Kolkata: The Supreme Court verdict canceling appointments of over 25,000 jobs in West Bengal government-run and -aided schools has vindicated Governor C V Ananda Bose’s stance in the matter, the Raj Bhavan said on Thursday.
It said that the governor, taking note of the gravity of the evolving situation in the case, had invoked his constitutional powers to sanction prosecution against former education minister Partha Chatterjee in the cases filed by the CBI, which is investigating the illegal appointments case, that has resulted in his incarceration.
Chatterjee was arrested on July 23, 2022, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the money trail in the case. The CBI also took custody of him in connection with its investigation of the cases relating to the school jobs scam.
“The Supreme Court verdict has vindicated the Governor’s stance in the case,” the Raj Bhavan said in a communication to its staff.
It said that the irregularities in the recruitment process for teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-run and -aided schools “wreaked havoc in the lives of thousands of deserving candidates who were deprived of their rightful jobs.”
“The Governor’s primary consideration was to bring to book the culprits and facilitate in the CBI investigations since such kind of recruitment scams play havoc with the lives of youngsters who have a constitutional right of fair, transparent and accountable consideration of their candidature,” the communication said.
The Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools, and termed the entire selection process “vitiated and tainted”.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar
