Supreme Court Freezes Order Cancelling Hiring Of Bengal Teachers

A Calcutta High Court order cancelling the appointment of over 25,000 assistant teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal has been put on hold by the Supreme Court. The court said the Central Bureau of Investigation will continue to look into the matter but there will be no coercive action against candidates or officials.

The High Court had cancelled the appointments, remarking that irregularities committed made them null. The teachers were asked to return their salaries with 12% interest.

But the move, which at one stroke made 26,000 teachers jobless, generated immense public anger. The on social media, many complained that innocent people were being punished for the misdoings of a few. Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, which challenged the High Court order, is hoping to reap the benefits of public mood in the ongoing general election.