Calcutta HC orders termination of 53 Primary Teachers
The Kolkata High Court on Friday ordered the dismissal of 53 primary school teachers from various public schools in West Bengal who were accused of illegally obtaining work through improper means or for payment. Earlier this year, a panel of judges, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, ordered the dismissal of 269 primary school teachers for the same reason. But these teachers went to the Supreme Court, claiming that the order was made without their opinion being heard. The Supreme Court then ordered the same judge to hear this claim of his 269 elementary school teachers. We also instructed these teachers to submit affidavits on this matter.
On Friday, 54 such teachers were to attend the Gangopadhyay bench with their affidavits, of which 53 attended. After reviewing these affidavits, Judge Gangopadhyay ordered the dismissal of all these 53 of his teachers. He also said he fined one of his teachers who did not attend Rs 10,000 and after paying the fine he would have the opportunity to file an affidavit on the matter. Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the parliamentary opposition, said this was just the beginning. “In the coming days, the court will gradually order the termination of such services. The number will gradually increase to over 25,000. They all will gather in Kolkata and march to the Chief Minister’s official residence in Kalighat demanding return of the money they paid for procuring the services,” he claimed.
