CBI probe over additional teacher posts in Bengal canceled by Supreme Court
CBI probe over additional teacher posts in Bengal canceled by Supreme Court
Digital Desk: In a big relief to the Mamata Banerjee government, the Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the Calcutta High Court's decision to order a CBI investigation into the creation of supernumerary or additional posts for Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruitment in 2022.
The bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, concluded that there was no need for judicial action because the new jobs were created by the Bengal education department only after requisite consultations and with the Governor's assent.
However, when the case reached the High Court, it found that the formation of the new jobs was "not legal."
The High Court's division bench authorized the central investigation agency to detain cabinet members for interrogation in connection with the decision.
After pausing the High Court's ruling permitting a CBI probe, the Supreme Court eventually quashed the instruction today, stating that the High Court was not warranted in mandating the probe.
However, the Supreme Court stressed that its judgment was restricted to the High Court's demand for a CBI investigation into the formation of supernumerary positions.
It further indicated that its decision has no bearing on other portions of the investigation or the chargesheets submitted by the CBI in connection with the case, which saw the former Education Minister and close Mamata aide, Partha Chatterjee, imprisoned.
The Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to revoke 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments in 2016 due to a cash scam.
Following a CBI investigation into the 2016 SSC recruitment scandal, the Mamata Banerjee government added new posts in 2022.
The state government issued an order on May 19, 2022, to fill supernumerary positions of assistant teachers and non-teaching personnel at recognized aided and sponsored schools to accommodate waitlisted candidates.
The order authorized the creation of 6,861 supernumerary positions for both teaching and non-teaching staff.
