Kolkata, Dec 8 (IANS) The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has approached the Supreme Court challenging the order by a single-judge bench last week directing the commission to publish the list of “untainted” non-teaching staff in Group-C and Group-D categories in its 2016 panel, which was cancelled entirely following a Supreme Court order in April this year.

The Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha, on November 3, had directed WBSSC to publish the list of “untainted” non-teaching staff in Group-C and Group-D categories in its 2016 panel and observed that the publication of the list of “untainted” non-teaching staff was necessary to provide room for them to participate in the fresh recruitment process and also enjoy the necessary age relaxation for the purpose.

Even the apex court division bench had directed that age relaxation should be given in the fresh recruitment process to “untainted” non-teaching staff, who also lost jobs because of the cancellation of the entire panel, Justice Sinha observed further.

Although the commission had already published the list of “tainted” candidates in the 2016 panel, it has yet to publish the separate list of “untainted” candidates. Monday was the deadline for the publication of the list of “untainted” candidates as directed by Justice Sinha’s bench last week.

However, with the WBSSC authorities not being in agreement with the Calcutta High Court’s order for the publication of “untainted” candidates’ list, it had approached the apex court with a plea against that Calcutta High Court order before the deadline had expired.

Justice Sinha’s direction to the WBSSC came last week while hearing a petition accusing the commission of gross irregularities in categorising “untainted” and “tainted” non-teaching staff in the 2016 panel. The petitioners alleged that several “tainted” non-teaching staff in the 2016 panel, who have proven beyond doubt of securing jobs paying money, have managed to get their names in the list for the “untainted” category.

Similarly, the petitioners have claimed that several “untainted” non-teaching staff in the 2016 panel have been dropped from the list for the “untainted” category.

As per the Supreme Court’s verdict earlier this year, while the “untainted” non-teaching staff in the 2016 panel will get the chance to participate in the fresh recruitment process, the categorically identified “tainted” non-teaching staff from the same panel will be denied that chance.

The total number of vacancies for non-teaching staff in the Group-C category in the state-run school in West Bengal is 2,989. The number of vacancies in the Group D category is 5,488.

–IANS

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