The Supreme Court judgment cancelling the appointment of more than 25,000 teachers and other school staff in West Bengal has sparked a massive political row, with the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition BJP and CPM trading barbs. But away from this din is the silence of uncertainty that faces 25,753 sacked employees, who are wondering how to pay bills and put food on the table.
NDTV spoke to two teachers whose appointments have been cancelled. They spoke of the EMI burden, ailing parents, schoolgoing children and how the Supreme Court judgment had turned their world upside down.
Pratap Roychowdhury taught in a school in South 24 Parganas near Kolkata, till yesterday. "If a man loses his job, you can imagine how it impacts his family. There are home loans, EMIs and many people are dependent on him. Everything will be finished," he said.
The bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar yesterday cancelled the appointments of all 25,753 teachers and other staff appointed by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016 for massive irregularities. "In our opinion, this is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption. The credibility and legitimacy of the selection are denuded," the court said.
The court said that while the untainted candidates, whose names did not come up during the investigation, need not return the salaries they received in the last eight years, they would no longer have their jobs. The court has asked the state government to repeat the selection process within three months.
Mr Roychowdhury held the state government responsible for what they are going through. Asked if he expects any help from the state government, he replied, "This government engineered this scam. What can we expect from them?"
Amit Ranjan Bhuyan taught physical science to students of Class 9 and 10. He doesn't have a job anymore. "We studied, cracked a competitive exam and got a job. Some people resorted to corruption. It would not have been possible without the state government's support. But those untainted like us were expecting that we would be able to continue in our jobs. This judgment has destroyed our lives. I have a nine-year-old daughter, my wife and my mother. There are EMIs, how will we look for new jobs now," he said.
Mr Bhuyan said the state government cannot escape responsibility for the damage they have done. "Why so much corruption? The state government is responsible. But the Supreme Court should have given relief to those not involved in corruption. Why did I lose my job?"
The sacked teacher said the road ahead is very tough. "If I were 25-26, I would have cracked another exam. The confidence levels are different then. I am 39 now, which job will I be eligible for? The Supreme Court has said we can take the same exam in three months. Is it possible to crack the same competitive exam after 10 years? I do not know whether I will be able to. The judgment gave the same punishment to those involved in corruption and those not involved. I have been honest all my life, and my academics are good. This is unfair," he said.
BJP vs Trinamool Over Teachers' Sackings
In the aftermath of the verdict, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that opposition parties BJP and CPM had conspired to effect a collapse of Bengal's education system. She also said she cannot accept the verdict personally, even though her government would implement it. The BJP has hit back, with party MP Sambit Patra alleging that lakhs of people are paying for the Trinamool Congress government's corruption. "Where is Rahul Gandhi now? Where are INDI alliance partners? Didi will go to jail, surely," he said.
