SC stays HC order nixing Bengal school appointments

In a relief to over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff recruited in West Bengal in 2019, Supreme Court stayed a Calcutta high court order annulling their appointments but warned that those recruited illegally would have to refund salaries to the state. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to examine modalities by which tainted candidates could be segregated from non-tainted ones so as to enable the court to save the jobs of those who made it to the merit list honestly. Dictating the order, the Supreme Court bench said, “The court cannot be unmindful of the impact of setting aside of a large complement of assistant teachers who are recruited for teaching Class 9-10 and 11-12 students, which would be the consequence if the impugned judgment of the high court stands.” However, it permitted CBI to carry on with its investigation into the case.