In a major embarrassment for the Mamata Banerjee Government, the Calcutta high Court on Wednesday asked the State to file an affidavit on the procedures adopted for filling up thousands of schoolteachers' post making a cutting remark that the allegations being levelled against the Government regarding the appointment procedure were serious in nature.
This, even as districts went up in flames with candidates protesting against what they called "illegal" appointments.
More than 300 candidates who claimed to have cleared the controversial Teachers' Eligibility Test held in 2015 earlier moved the High Court challenging the appointment procedure to fill up 43,000 vacant posts.
While in a mysterious development the Government refrained from publishing names of successful candidates in the official website Education Minister Partho Chatterjee said the Government would go on issuing appointment letters and eventually absorb 72,000 candidates.
The petitioners also questioned the way the Government ignored an earlier directive issued by the Court asking the Government to issue appointment letters which should essentially mention the fact that the "case is subjudice."
The candidates from six districts contended --- amid allegations that anywhere between Rs 4 and 8 lakh changed hands for each appointment — that their names were not considered despite they had cleared the TET exams and that they had requisite qualifications including B.Ed degree for the purpose.
Justice Arijit Banerjee hearing the case on Wednesday asked the Government to f8ile an affidavit putting its side of the case as the allegations made by the candidates were grave in nature.
Meanwhile, Partho Chatterjee said the Government would go on with issuing appointment letters until a specific order to the contrary came from the Court. "There are some people who are trying to derail the appointment process to gain political points. But the Government will proceed with its plans until there is a specific order to the contrary from the Court," he said.