Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the decision of the Calcutta High Court that invalidated the appointments of nearly 25,000 teachers and staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal, ruling that the entire selection process was "tainted" by fraud and irregularities.

The verdict came in response to appeals against the April 22, 2024, decision of the Calcutta High Court, which had declared that the 25,753 appointments made by the West Bengal School Selection Commission (SSC) in 2016 were void. The High Court had found that the recruitment process, which involved the appointment of teachers and other staff for state schools, was marred by fraud and other irregularities, making the entire process "beyond repair."

The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, considered a batch of petitions challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order. Pronouncing the verdict, the CJI said the employees, whose appointments have been annulled, are not required to return their salaries and other emoluments.

The top court also ordered the state government to initiate a fresh selection process and complete it within three months. It, however, made relaxation for the disabled employees on humanitarian grounds, saying they would remain in the job.

The bench fixed the West Bengal government's plea challenging the high court direction for a CBI probe for hearing on April 4.

On February 10, the top court reserved its judgment on a batch of petitions in the matter.

The controversy stemmed from the 2016 recruitment drive conducted by the West Bengal SSC, which saw 23 lakh candidates competing for 24,640 teaching and non-teaching posts. Despite this, the commission issued 25,753 appointment letters, some of which were beyond the available vacancies, and others were granted to candidates who had submitted blank OMR sheets.

(with PTI inputs)