First time state govt body accepted that it sold jobs: Sukanta Majumdar on West Bengal school scam

New Delhi [India], August 31 (ANI): Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar has reacted strongly to the publication of a list of 1804 "tainted" candidates by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) following a Supreme Court order. The list pertains to teachers allegedly involved in irregularities.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Majumdar noted that the SSC's publication of the list is an admission of selling teaching jobs, a serious corruption allegation.
He questioned the discrepancy in numbers compared to previous court proceedings and called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
Majumdar demanded accountability, stating that if the SSC had the list, it should have been presented during court proceedings.
He highlighted the undue burden on eligible teachers, some of whom have faced mental pressure, with one even losing their life.
"Today, SSC published a list of tainted teachers... For the first time, a state government or a body of a state government, SSC, has accepted that they sold the teachers' jobs... The numbers do not match the previous court proceedings. Very few names are there. This list should be investigated properly... If the list was available with the SSC, then why did they not publish it during the proceedings at the Calcutta High Court and then the Supreme Court?" Sukanta Majumdar said.
Majumdar asserted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has no moral right to continue in her position if the SSC, under her government's purview, is found to have engaged in corruption.
He urged CM Banerjee to resign immediately, citing the alleged corruption in the recruitment process.
"All the eligible teachers who are not tainted have to face the examination... Already, some of them have lost their lives. One ST teacher lost his life due to the mental pressure... If the SSC, the body of the government of West Bengal, accepts that it has committed corruption and sold teachers' jobs, then someone should take responsibility. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has no moral right to sit in the chair of CM... She should resign immediately," Majumdar added.
The West Bengal School Service Commission released the list of 1804 ineligible candidates on Saturday, following the Supreme Court's direction to publish the list of 'tainted' candidates involved in the cash-for-jobs scam. The commission released the roll number, serial number and name of the ineligible candidates.
The West Bengal Central SSC in a notice said, "In compliance with the Order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India dated August 28, 2025 in the matter of SLP(C) No.23784/2025(BEJOY BISWAS & ORS. Vs. STATE OF WEST BENGAL & ORS.), the list of candidates as mentioned in the List 1 is attached below, who were selected, whose selection has been set aside by the Hon'ble High Court and confirmed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court, is hereby published in the official website of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission in order to place the List of such tainted candidates in public domain."
Earlier on July 14, SSC teachers who lost their jobs after the Calcutta High Court decision in 2024, launched a protest march 'Nabanno Abhiyan' in Howrah towards the Bengal Secretariat under the banner of 'Jogya Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Mancha'.They lost their jobs following a Supreme Court judgment that held the entire appointment process was tainted. The teachers who lost their jobs staged several protests against Mamata Banerjee's government, demanding justice.
Approximately 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal lost their jobs due to alleged corruption in various examinations conducted by the state's School Service Commission.
The bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar found that the West Bengal SSC's selection process was based on large-scale manipulations and fraud, and ordered the TMC government to initiate a fresh selection process.
On April 3, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to quash the recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff by the WBSSC in 2016 for the state-run and aided schools. The top court's verdict was delivered in response to a petition filed by the West Bengal government, which challenged an April 2022 order of the Calcutta High Court. (ANI)