New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, holding her responsible for large-scale corruption in the state’s school recruitment process. In a press conference, BJP leader Sambit Patra asserted that accountability would be ensured under the rule of law and stated that if the BJP came to power in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee would face legal repercussions.
“Didi jail jayengi, albat jayengi. Hindustan mai kanoon ka shasan hai. The day BJP forms a government in Bengal, the full force of the law will be brought upon Mamata Banerjee,” he said. The party’s remarks came a day after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s order cancelling the appointment of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff due to recruitment irregularities.
Addressing the press conference, BJP leader Sambit Patra alleged that Mamata Banerjee’s administration has institutionalised corruption and suppressed probes into the scam. “A few days ago, Mamata Banerjee went to Oxford and called herself a tigress. But no tigress engages in corruption. The way her government has allowed corruption to flourish in Bengal, lakhs of people have suffered,” he said.
Patra attacked CM Mamata Banerjee’s government and said that the Supreme Court had itself said that credibility and legitimacy had been denuded under her governance. “The Supreme Court, in its verdict delivered by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, found serious manipulation in the recruitment process conducted through the School Service Commission (SSC). The apex court stated that the entire selection process was vitiated by manipulation and fraud. Credibility and legitimacy have been denuded,” stated Patra.
“The Calcutta High Court, in its April 22, 2024, ruling, had declared 25,780 recruitments invalid after discovering that OMR sheets were tampered with and undeserving candidates were selected in exchange for bribes. The court had also ordered a CBI probe into the scam,” he said.
Patra further attacked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for allegedly obstructing investigations, saying, “When the CBI began probing the scam, Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders attacked the agency to shield the corrupt.”
Questioning the silence of the opposition, Patra asked, “Had such serious allegations been made against any NDA Chief Minister, Rahul Gandhi would have raised a storm in Parliament, calling it the ‘murder of democracy.’ Where is he now? Where are the INDI Alliance leaders?”
Predicting legal consequences for Banerjee, Patra declared, “Didi jail jayengi, albat jayengi. Hindustan mai kanoon ka shasan hai. The day BJP forms a government in Bengal, the full force of the law will be brought upon Mamata Banerjee.”
The SSC recruitment scam is one of the most high-profile corruption cases in Bengal, with multiple arrests and allegations of bribes in job allocations. The BJP has vowed to continue pressing for accountability, making corruption a central issue in its political battle against the TMC.
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Calcutta High Court’s decision to quash the recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016 for the state-run and aided schools.
The bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar found that the West Bengal SSC’s selection process was based on large-scale manipulations and fraud. “In our opinion, this is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption. The credibility and legitimacy of the selection are denuded”, the apex court bench stated in its judgement.
The apex court found no reason to interfere with the direction of the High Court that the services of “tainted” candidates must be terminated, and they should be required to refund any salaries/payments received.”Since their appointments were the result of fraud, this amounts to cheating. Therefore, we see no justification to alter this direction”, the bench added.
The top court’s verdict came on a petition filed by the West Bengal government challenging an April 2022 order of the Calcutta High Court, which had cancelled the recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and other staff for state-run and aided schools. The top court reserved its verdict in the matter on February 10.
The Court further clarified that because the entire recruitment process was vitiated, the candidates whose recruitment was “untainted” will also have to be terminated. However, such candidates will not have to refund any payments made to them.
The top court granted liberty to “untainted” candidates to reapply to their previous jobs in their respective state departments. In such cases, the court stated, they will receive their previously held jobs in their respective departments.
As regards candidates whose appointments are cancelled but who are not classified as “tainted” and have previously worked in different state government departments or autonomous bodies, the Court stated that such candidates can apply to return to their former positions.
