Cal HC Double Bench upholds Single Bench order of CBI probe into primary teachers appointment

Kolkata: A double-bench of Calcutta High Court on Friday upheld a directive of its single bench 21 June order ordering the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI to probe the alleged irregularities in the primary teacher appointments of the state-owned schools.

The court’s single bench judge justice Abhijit Gangopadhaya had ordered removal of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Manik Bhattacharya from the post of chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education. He has been accused of submitting fake documents.

Bhattacharya is a sitting MLA from Palashipara constituency.

Calcutta High Court’s division bench headed by justice Subrata Talukder and justice Lapita Banerjee on Friday while upholding its single bench order of June 21, also directed that the probe would be monitored by the single bench.

The double bench also order that the investigation also be made into the money trail in connection with the matter ( primary teachers recruitment) will be done as necessary.

The latest court order meant the single-bench order removing 269 appointees from their jobs and barrned them from entering the schools.

The double bench order happened after the Board of Primary Education of the state government had moved against its single bench order.

The single bench order had directed TMC legislator to appear before the CBI in a primary teacher recruitment corruption case.

According to CBI sources, there were allegations of irregularities against him in the initial recruitment corruption case.

The court said that several documents related to the 2014 primary teacher recruitment were sought. But the board did not submit the documents and misled the court.

Documents for 2022 have been submitted instead of 2018 and the chairman of the board is considered fully responsible for this, the court said.

In the documents submitted to the court, none of the applications of 2,787 candidates who had applied for a re-evaluation were submitted.

The court also questioned the validity of the decision to give an additional 1 mark to 263 candidates on October 3, 2018.