Calcutta HC reinstates 32,000 teachers, Mamata hails ‘humanitarian’ relief

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday celebrated a major reprieve for thousands of primary school teachers after the Calcutta High Court scrapped an earlier judgment that had voided 32,000 appointments over alleged irregularities. She praised the ruling as a “humanitarian” intervention that spares families from sudden financial ruin.

The decision comes amid years of turmoil surrounding teacher recruitments in the state, with the sector repeatedly rocked by allegations of fraud. Only in April, the Supreme Court had struck down nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching appointments in state-run and state-aided institutions, citing a tainted selection process.

This time, however, a division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetabrata Kumar Mitra took a different view, holding that the single bench’s sweeping cancellation could not be sustained since irregularities were not proven across the board. The judges noted the severe consequences of abruptly terminating staff who have been teaching since their 2016 recruitment, many of them having qualified through the 2014 Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET).

Speaking in Malda, Banerjee said the ruling had eased the “anxiety of thousands” and aligned with the state’s aim to create — not destroy — employment. “The judges have viewed the issue through a humanitarian lens,” she said. “It is not right to rush to court every time to snatch away someone’s livelihood.”

The original cancellation order had been issued by then-Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who later resigned, entered politics and is now a BJP MP from Tamluk. Banerjee refused to comment on him, saying only that the court’s decision had safeguarded the futures of “young brothers and sisters”.

The division bench also clarified that while the teachers will retain their posts, ongoing investigations into alleged corruption may continue, and pending matters relating to reservation or procedural lapses before the single bench will proceed independently.

Predictably, the BJP was far from placated. Party spokesperson and petitioner Tarunjyoti Tewari said he respected the judgment but argued it had triggered “new questions” among Bengal’s unemployed youth, who believe they were denied fair opportunities. In a post on X, he accused the state of giving “institutional legitimacy to corruption” and insisted the battle would move to the Supreme Court.

Tewari maintained that innocence of individual candidates cannot justify flawed appointments, asserting: “Humanity and justice are not the same thing. What about those who were deprived?” Citing precedents including the Tripura teacher recruitment case and recent SSC-related rulings in Bengal, he reiterated that corruption-tainted appointments cannot legally survive.

Vowing to continue what he called a fight against “institutional corruption” under the Trinamool Congress, Tewari said deprived aspirants “understand everything today” — and that the final word will ultimately rest with the Supreme Court.

With PTI inputs