Calcutta High Court stops Bengal's stipends for non-teaching staff move
The Calcutta High Court on Friday paused the Bengal government's decision to offer stipends to non-teaching staff of the 2016 batch after the Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of their jobs in April in the jobs-for-cash scam.Justice Amrita Sinha, who had reserved the order last Monday, halted the payment of stipends for Group C and D non-teaching staff.The Mamata Banerjee-headed Bengal government announced a Rs 25,000 stipend for Group C staff, and Rs 20,000 for Group D after the top court's massive April ruling.advertisement
Separate petitions were filed at the Calcutta High Court, challenging the format of the fresh selection process for teachers and also Banerjee's decision to provide non-teaching staff with a monthly stipend.In April, the Supreme Court had blasted the Bengal government as it upheld the High Court's decision to reject the appointments of more than 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016 in connection with the jobs-for-cash scam.A bench of former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar called the selection process fraudulent, amounting to cheating."We find no reason to interfere with the decision of the High Court that the services of tainted candidates and their appointment be terminated. Since their appointment was by fraud, this amounts to cheating," the bench noted.advertisementThe High Court had cited serious irregularities such as OMR sheet tampering and rank manipulation, thereby dismissing the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and state-aided schools. In its April ruling, the Supreme Court, however, said that candidates already appointed need not hand over the salary given so far.
IN THIS STORY#West Bengal#Mamata Banerjee
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