West Bengal government jobs cannot be obtained without paying money, says the Calcutta High Court

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• Aug 17, 2022 | Poonam Nath

Without paying money, West Bengal has become a state where no one can secure or even retain a state government job.

Digital Desk: In the aftermath of the SSC scam, a single judge-bench of the Calcutta High Court stated emphatically on Tuesday that "West Bengal has become such a state where no one can secure or even retain a state government job without paying money." 

In his observation, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench referred to the name of Manik Bhattacharya, the former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) and Trinamool Congress legislator, in passing a verdict related to the termination of a primary teacher in a state-run school just four months after his appointment.

"Manik Bhattacharya's employment was likely terminated because the litigant did not pay him." "Gangopadhyay noticed that West Bengal has become a state where no one can get or keep a state government job without paying a fee."

To recall, Manik Bhattacharya was removed as WBBPE president on the order of Justice Gangopadhyay. While ordering a CBI investigation into WBBPE recruitment in June of this year, Justice Gangopadhyay also ordered Bhattacharya's removal from his chair.

Miraj Sheikh, who was hired in December 2021 as a primary teacher in a state-run school in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, brought the case in which Justice Gangopadhyay made such a striking observation.

WBBPE fired him four months later, claiming that he lacked the required graduation percentage of 45% required by the board to be assigned in the reserved category. Sheikh disagreed with the decision and offered his graduation certificate, which stated that he had received a grade of 46%.

After hearing the arguments from both sides, and finding the documents submitted by the litigant satisfactory, Justice Gangopadhyay directed WBBPE to immediately reinstate the petitioner as a primary teacher on Tuesday. He then observed that in West Bengal, no recruitment takes place without payment.

Leaders of the Trinamool Congress have refrained from commenting on Justice Gangopadhyay's statements. The judge's observation, according to the opposition, exposed the genuine image of widespread corruption in West Bengal.