Calcutta HC grants interim stay on termination of 32,000 teachers' jobs in West Bengal

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The Calcutta High Court on Friday issued an interim stay on the previous order that resulted in the termination of jobs for approximately 32,000 teachers in government-sponsored and -aided primary schools in West Bengal. The stay will remain in effect until the end of September or until further orders, as directed by a division bench presided over by Justice Subrata Talukdar.

The single bench, on May 12, had ordered the cancellation of the appointments of around 32,000 candidates who were recruited as primary teachers in 2016 through a selection process based on the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) conducted in 2014. The candidates had not completed their teacher training at the time of recruitment.

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Acknowledging the need for judicial intervention, the division bench, also comprising Justice Supratim Bhattacharya, expressed that the termination of jobs without providing the affected parties with a meaningful right of defense prima facie warranted judicial scrutiny. The interim order was passed in response to an appeal filed by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education and some affected teachers, PTI reported.

Earlier, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had ordered the cancellation of the appointments, but the recent interim stay has put a temporary halt to the termination of jobs.

(With inputs from PTI)