WBSSC job case: Crucial hearing on Monday challenging new 'weightage criteria' in fresh recruitment process

A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court will on Monday hear the crucial petition challenging the new rules on "weightage criteria" introduced by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in its notification for fresh recruitment for teaching posts.

- AGENCIES

Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court will on Monday hear the crucial petition challenging the new rules on "weightage criteria" introduced by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in its notification for fresh recruitment for teaching posts.

The posts in state-run schools have been lying vacant following a Supreme Court order in April this year, cancelling 25,753 jobs.

The Division Bench of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das, on Friday, sought detailed documents from the commission on the recruitment rules and "weightage criteria" in the notification for the fresh recruitment process.

On Monday, the state government will have to justify to the Division Bench why the new weightage criteria were introduced in the fresh recruitment process.

After the notification for fresh recruitment was issued by the WBSSC last month, it was challenged at the Calcutta High Court's Single Judge Bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya by a group of petitioners on two grounds.

The first ground was that the commission had illegally allowed "tainted" candidates to participate in the new recruitment process although the Supreme Court in its order in April this year asked for the exclusion of such candidates from it.

The second ground of challenge was on two new "weightage criteria" carrying 10 marks each, under the head of "prior teaching experience" and "lecture demonstration".