Teachers' recruitment scam: WBBPE approaches Calcutta HC with appeal for ending agitation

As fresh agitation has started over irregularities in the teachers' recruitment, and this time near the office of the West Bengal Board of Prime Education (WBBPE) at Salt Lake, the board on Wednesday filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court, seeking an end to the protests on the streets on this matter.

The single-judge bench of Justice Lapita Bandopadhyay, through admitting the petition, has dismissed the plea of the WBBPE counsel for hearing in the matter on a fast-track basis.

"What is the hurry for a quick hearing? The agitation is continuing for some many days. What will be harm if it continues for one more day?" Justice Bandopadhyay asked the WBBPE counsel while dismissing the plea for hearing on a fast-track basis.

Newly-appointed WBBPE President, Gautam Pal said that because of the agitation near the office's gates, the employees are facing difficulties in entering the office. "There is apprehension of the breach of security. The normal operations of the board office are getting hampered," Pal alleged.

Fresh agitations have started after the WBBPE said that the agitating candidates, who were not included in the 2014 primary teachers' recruitment examination, will have to appear for fresh examinations to get empanelment.

However, the agitating candidates are unwilling to appear for fresh examinations since they have already qualified once and then were denied a job through "unfair" means and hence are demanding their direct recruitment.

The candidates, many of whom are agitating with their children on the streets of Salt Lake area, alleged that they were deprived of appointment because of the erstwhile corruption of the earlier WBBPE President and Trinamool Congress legislator, Manik Bhattachrya.

"He is in central agency custody now. But even the current WBBPE President is trying to mislead us. This is a false allegation that because of our agitation the normal operations at the WBBPE office are getting hampered. We are agitating peacefully, maintaining a reasonable distance from the entry gate of the board office," an agitator said.