Sacked Teachers Remain on West Bengal’s Salary List

Despite SC Order, Names Retained on ISMS Portal

In an unexpected move, the West Bengal government has kept the names of all teachers, whose services were terminated by the Supreme Court, on its Integrated Salary Management System (ISMS) portal. This leaves the teachers in a dilemma about whether to accept their salaries or not, as the SC has terminated their services immediately.

Delay in Salary Generation

• Typically, the last date for generating salaries is the 10th of the month.
• However, this time, the portal was closed until Wednesday afternoon.
• Officials from the education department stated that the delay was due to calculating the 4% DA raise.

Once the portal resumed functioning, the employee list for each school remained unchanged, even after the SC’s order.

Statement from State Education Minister

Bratya Basu, the state education minister, said, “We have approached the SC for clarification on this matter. Appropriate steps will be taken based on our lawyers’ advice.”

SC Revokes Calcutta HC’s Order for CBI Probe

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court overturned a part of the Calcutta high court’s directive ordering a CBI investigation into the West Bengal cabinet’s decision to create supernumerary posts for school staff. However, it upheld the continuation of the CBI investigation into other aspects of the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in the state’s government-aided schools.

Background of the Dispute

• The dispute originates from a 2016 recruitment drive conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC).
• This recruitment drive was invalidated by the Calcutta high court due to widespread irregularities.
• The Supreme Court recently confirmed that verdict, leading to the cancellation of over 25,000 appointments.

In response, chief minister Mamata Banerjee met with several of the affected teachers and strongly criticized the move, calling it a “conspiracy” to undermine West Bengal’s education system.

CM Mamata’s Support for Dismissed Teachers

CM Mamata promised the affected teachers her ongoing support, declaring she would fight for them “as long as she is alive,” even if it meant facing jail time. While some teachers appreciated her reassurance, others expressed disappointment over the lack of a clear plan for reinstatement.