The Calcutta High Court has ordered the police not to take any coercive action against thousands of teachers protesting the cancellation of their appointments in West Bengal, who were involved in skirmishes with police after their protest outside the state education department turned violent.
The bench also directed the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education not to issue any show cause notices to the teachers involved.
The court’s order, delivered by a single bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on Friday, comes after a recent clash between protestors and police.
The protests stem from widespread irregularities and corruption in the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).
On April 3, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta High Court order from 2024, which had cancelled approximately 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments.
The Supreme Court characterised the recruitment process as “vitiated and tainted,” highlighting severe irregularities like OMR sheet tampering and rank manipulation.
The Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s decision that the entire panel had to be cancelled because the state government and the commission failed to distinguish between “tainted” and “untainted” candidates.
This verdict led to widespread dismay and protests among the affected teachers, many of whom claim to have secured their jobs fairly and are now demanding their reinstatement and the immediate publication of a clear list of “untainted” candidates.
On May 15, 2025, a protest by the teachers, primarily organised under the banner of the “Jogya Sikkhok-Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha (2016 SLST)” (Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum), outside Bikash Bhawan – the State Education Department headquarters – turned violent.
The clash resulted in injuries to both protesters and police personnel.
The Bidhannagar North police station lodged FIRs against several protestors, and the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) began issuing show cause notices to some of the involved teachers.
The Calcutta High Court took note of an application filed by the State, affirmed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Detective Department, Bidhannagar, highlighting inconveniences caused by the ongoing agitation by members of the ‘Jogya Sikkhok-Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha (2016 SLST).’
Responding to petitions from the teachers’ forum and the state government, the court explicitly directed police authorities to “go slow” on all accused persons, including the petitioners, in connection with the May 15 incident.
Crucially, it stated that no coercive steps, including arrest, should be taken against any accused until further orders.
While granting this protection, the court emphasized that individuals summoned for investigation must cooperate.
To ensure public convenience and prevent disruption to government offices, the court ordered the protesting teachers to shift their agitation site from outside Bikash Bhawan to Central Park in Salt Lake, specifically towards the opposite side of Bikash Bhawan.
The court imposed a restriction on the number of protestors, stating that a maximum of 200 members would be allowed at the new venue on a rotational basis at any given time.
If additional sympathizers approach the site, a mutual decision would be taken by the police and the organization’s members.
Recognizing the ongoing scorching summer heat, the court urged the State to treat the protestors with a “human face.”
It directed the administration to explore arranging temporary structures, drinking water facilities, and bio-toilets at the new protest venue.
The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education was also instructed not to implement the show cause notices issued to the teachers.
The “Jogya Sikkhok-Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha (2016 SLST)” was directed to provide the names of 10 members to the Assistant Commissioner of Police North, Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, for regular communication and coordination.
Despite the restrictions on coercive action, the court clarified that the investigation into the May 15 incident would continue as usual.
In a related development on the same day, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition by “tainted” teachers seeking permission to appear in the upcoming fresh recruitment process, further solidifying the legal position against those whose appointments were found to be irregular.
The teachers, under the “Jogya Sikkhok-Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha (2016 SLST),” continue their struggle, emphasizing that they were unfairly punished for a systemic flaw and are demanding a transparent and just resolution that separates the deserving from the corrupt.
