In yet another embarrassing order for the Bengal Government the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday warned the State School Service Commission with CBI investigation and raids by central forces into its premises even as it heard a case related to alleged large-scale irregularities in appointments of class four employees.
Passing a stringent observation during the hearing Justice Arijit Gangopadhyay said that “if necessary” his court could even get the SSC office surrounded by the, CICF, IB, CBI in order “to find out who is behind this.”
The Justice also said that her would not allow any member of the commission to go out. “All the information of all the computers will be checked by sending it to CBI. No contact can be made with the regional office during this period. No computer can be used without a court order.”
The Court warned that it would dissolve the entire SSC if it was required directing the Government to stop payment of salary to 19 people of the Class IV staff whose appointment procedure was under cloud. Incidentally, the Court had in the recent past summoned the Chairman of the Board of Primary Education over allegations of irregularities in the appointment of primary teachers.
Even as the SSC authorities contended that the appointments were not made under any recommendation post May 4 2019 the Court directed the authorities to file an affidavit explaining its conduct.
Different benches of the High Court have been hearing hundreds of cases of irregular appointments at various levels for the past eight years. There are allegations that hundreds of crores had changed hands in giving appointments to class four staff and primary and secondary teachers.
Reacting to the strong stance taken by the High Court Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari said it would be futile to target a few officials of the SSC because the chain of corruption went further up to the highest level of the political establishment.
“Nothing will be achieved by catching some officers of the SSC or its chairman or the secretary because the they worked according to the instruction of the Minister and the Minister worked as per the directions of the person who is the second in command in the Trinamool Congress … let the investigation reached the door steps of these people so that the topmost echelon of the political establishment is sent behind the bar much like Om Prakash Chautala so that they are sent to the Tihar Jail,” said Adhikari.
When asked to comment on the issue, TMC MP Saugato Roy said that he had heard about the Court order saying “if some irregularities have taken place then that must be probed and the guilty must be brought to book … the Government is of the same view and it will definitely act accordingly.”