Mamata Banerjee mulls alternative roles for ‘tainted’ teachers

Kolkata

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the ongoing teacher recruitment crisis would be resolved soon, adding that ‘tainted’ teachers could be accommodated in alternative roles. Her remarks, made ahead of Teacher’s Day, have drawn sharp criticism from groups representing ‘untainted’ teachers.

Speaking at the Shiksha Ratna programme at the Dhono Dhanyo auditorium in Kolkata, Ms. Banerjee said, “After working for so many years, many of them have been termed ‘tainted and ineligible’. I am looking into this matter through legal means. They may not work as teachers according to the court’s order, but whether they can work in Group C or D, is being considered.”

The Chief Minister said her government was “humanitarian” and not bringing politics into the issue. She also assured that non-teaching staff who lost their jobs following the Supreme Court’s April 3 order would be considered under a fresh hiring process after the fresh recruitment process for the teachers is over.

However, representatives of ‘untainted’ teachers expressed dismay. “The ‘untainted’ teachers and non-teaching staff who did not participate in any corruption have been sacrificed in this whole scam. They are assuring the ‘tainted’ candidates of jobs. Whereas many of us may not be able to pass the new exams again which we had already passed in 2016, she has not given any assurances to the ‘untainted’ people who will lose their jobs,” said Mehboob Mondal, leader of the Jogyo Shikkhok Shikkhika Adhikar Mancha (JSSAM).

A group of ‘untainted’ teachers staged a protest outside the Legislative Assembly, criticising Ms. Banerjee’s remarks. Leader of the Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari met the protesters and extended support. “It is impossible for people who gave exams in 2016 to compete with fresh candidates in 2025,” Mr. Adhikari said. On September 1, he wrote to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant urging reinstatement of ‘untainted’ teachers after the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) published a list of ‘tainted’ candidates.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the plea of hundreds of ‘tainted’ candidates seeking to appear in the fresh recruitment process of the WBSSC. A similar verdict had been given by the Calcutta High Court earlier in the week.

The WBSSC published the names of 1,806 ‘tainted’ candidates on August 30 and 31, following a Supreme Court directive. While the court ordered that such candidates be barred from the recruitment process, about 1,400 had already applied and admit cards were issued, which now stand cancelled.

On April 3, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta High Court order annulling nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching appointments in West Bengal, ruling that the 2016 recruitment process was “fraught with fraud and irregularities.” The entire panel was cancelled as the State government and the Commission failed to separate ‘tainted’ from ‘untainted’ candidates.

The fresh recruitment examinations are scheduled for September 7 and 14.