– Mita Mukherjee

The Supreme Court of India has granted additional time till May 31 next year to Bengal government to complete and finalise the recruitment process of nearly 35,000 teachers of state-aided schools.

The top court had earlier set August 31 this year the last date for completing the recruitment process.

The West Bengal State School Service Commission and the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education had separately appealed for extension of the deadline citing the new BJP government’s decision to reduce OBC reservation from 17 percent to seven percent. Additional time will be required to examine the modalities based on the revised OBC quota, the two state agencies had said in their appeal to the Supreme Court.

A Division bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjiv Sachdeva accepted the appeals of the two agencies seeking more time to complete the recruitment process. The Bench on Monday, however, made it clear that the May 31 will be the “last and final” deadline and no further extension will be granted beyond that date.

The court said that the “untainted but terminated” teachers will continue to receive their salaries till May 31, 2027.

The Supreme Court had in April last year upheld a Calcutta High Court order quashing the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching employees of state-aided schools declaring that the recruitment process ” tainted and lacking credibility”. The court had said that fresh recruitment would have to be done and it had to completed by December 31, 2025.

Later, on December 18 the same year the Supreme Court extended the deadline till August 31 this year.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed plea from teachers’ counsel to extend the deadline till July 2027.

However, many ” untainted but terminated” teachers said the deadline extension has brought some relief to them as they can now continue to get their salary till May 31 next year.

But many of them wondered whether it would be possible for the state school service commission to complete the recruitment process within the May 31 deadline.

The recruitment started by the previous government was based on 17 percent OBC quota which has now been reduced to seven percent. Many of them feared that they may not find a position in the revised list.

Also read: August sees protests across top higher education institutions