The Calcutta High Court has drawn a firm line in the sand—those who manipulated the system to land teaching jobs in West Bengal’s 2016 recruitment drive won’t get a second chance.
In a sharp rebuke to the state’s attempt at leniency, a Division Bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De dismissed the West Bengal government’s plea to let discredited candidates re-enter the fresh hiring process for assistant teachers. The judges upheld an earlier decision by Justice Saugata Bhattacharya, who made it clear: cheating has consequences, and those who used backdoor tactics won’t walk back through the front.
These “tainted candidates,” a term now synonymous with the jobs-for-cash scandal that rocked the 2016 recruitment, had been disqualified after courts—including the Supreme Court—uncovered signs of deep-rooted fraud. Yet, the government and the West Bengal Central School Service Commission argued for a fresh start, claiming these individuals had already paid a price and should not be permanently denied a livelihood.
But the court didn’t budge. Justice Bhattacharya’s ruling was sparked by pleas from honest, untainted aspirants, who challenged the move to allow discredited candidates back into the fold. Their argument was simple: fairness must prevail. And the court agreed.
With the appeal now rejected, the message from the judiciary is unmistakable—West Bengal’s classrooms are no place for those who cut corners.
