Kolkata: Fresh allegations of irregularities have surfaced in the latest recruitment cycle of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), with multiple aspirants claiming that “tainted” and previously disqualified candidates have once again been shortlisted for interviews despite explicit Supreme Court directions barring them from appearing in the exam.

As the list of shortlisted candidates for the 2025 State Level Selection Test (SLST) interview was released after a gap of nine years on November 16 – the last SLST for classes nine-ten and 11-12 was held in 2016 – aspirants and activists have raised allegations of widespread discrepancies, discriminatory cut-off criteria, and questionable additions to the merit list, particularly involving the contentious ten marks awarded for teaching experience.

The 2016 recruitment process was found to be massively tainted with major irregularities such as alleged manipulation of OMR sheets, back-door appointments and corruption in hiring. In April 2025, the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta high court decision to cancel the recruitment of about 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff to government schools based on that 2016 process, calling it “tainted and vitiated”.

Now, the SSC prepared its interview shortlist this year using an 80-mark framework that combines 60 marks from the written examination, ten marks for academic qualifications, and ten marks for prior teaching experience. Fresh candidates, who have no experience, can therefore score a maximum of only 70 out of 80, putting them at a built-in disadvantage. This disparity became more glaring as cut-offs for several major subjects, including English, Bengali, History, Geography, and Mathematics, crossed the 70% threshold. 

An agitating fresher, Karim Sekh, said, “Even candidates scoring 70 out of 70 have not been called. This is only because of the 10 marks for experience. Why should we accept such discrimination?”

Another general-category aspirant who reviewed the list underlined that the "discrepancy is obvious". “For the 2025 SLST under General category, 662 candidates were called but only six freshers qualified. Even candidates who scored 60 out of 60 in the written exam did not receive interview calls. The discrepancy is obvious.”

One of the most contentious allegations involves a candidate whose name appeared on the SSC’s earlier list of disqualified teachers, yet received an interview call under the PH (Persons with Disabilities) quota. The SSC has responded by citing a Supreme Court order that grants relaxation to “specially-abled candidates.” However, the commission also said that such cases would be reviewed during certificate verification.

“The state government does not want meritorious candidates to get jobs based on merit. They want to sell teaching jobs. Otherwise, how could they allow disqualified candidates to sit for the exam in defiance of Supreme Court orders?” alleged senior advocate and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhaattachaya.

On November 19, the Calcutta high court has directed the WBSSC to revise and republish the 2016 list of “tainted” candidates, this time including roll numbers, full names, fathers’ names, and subjects taught. The court said the expanded list is essential to ensure transparency and to prevent ineligible candidates from entering the 2025 recruitment process. 

State Education Minister Bratya Basu urged candidates to remain patient, stating that the recruitment process was still underway and that the government needed time to ensure no eligible candidate was deprived. His assurances, however, have done little to pacify the aggrieved aspirants. 

Speaking to The Wire, Sourav Mudi, one of the agitating candidates, said, “Those who submitted blank sheets in 2016 got jobs, while those scoring full marks in 2025 are excluded. We don’t trust the minister anymore. More cases will be filed.”

As legal hearings continue, the future of the recruitment process remains uncertain.

Translated from Bengali by Aparna Bhattacharya.

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