Calcutta HC Upholds Ban on ‘Tainted’ Candidates in WB School Recruitment

Quick Summary

• Calcutta High Court Ruling: On july 10, 2025, a division bench of teh Calcutta High Court upheld a single bench order directing the West bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to exclude “tainted” candidates from fresh teacher recruitment processes.
• Background: The “tainted” candidates were associated wiht corruption and fraud in securing their positions through the now-scrapped 2016 SLST recruitment. The Supreme Court had annulled these appointments and invalidated the recruitment panel earlier on April 3, impacting over 25,753 appointments.
• Challenge by State Government: The WBSSC and the West Bengal government appealed against the July 7 single bench order but failed to convince justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De. The court questioned why they were defending these “illegible” candidates labeled as tainted by previous rulings.
• Legal Debate: WBSSC’s counsel argued that denying these individuals access to fresh recruitments violated their basic rights. Only 188 tainted applicants had applied among over two lakh new candidates for current vacancies being filled this year for approximately 44,000 posts.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The calcutta High Court’s decision reinforces accountability in public service hiring by barring individuals previously linked to fraudulent practices from participating in ongoing recruitments. This judgment aligns closely with larger judicial directives aimed at correcting systemic flaws exposed during prior scandals such as the scrapping of thousands of appointments under SLST (2016).

While WBSSC raised concerns about fundamental rights violations, judicial reasoning emphasized protecting integrity within public institutions rather than prioritizing claims from accused parties without cleared allegations. With deadlines set for filling tens of thousands of teaching positions by year’s end, this ruling demands meticulous scrutiny over applicant authenticity-critical steps toward rebuilding trust in state-level competitive exams across India.Read More