The chief secretary said West Bengal will file a request for review in the Supreme Court.

On April 3, a Supreme Court order upheld an earlier ruling by the Kolkata High Court, which repealed the appointment of 25,752 teachers, resulting in a major crisis in the school education sector in West Bengal. |Picture source: Hindu

As protests continue to infuriate in the state, West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant assured Wednesday that the state government will file a petition for review to the Supreme Court for abolishing the appointment of 25,752 teachers and non-teachers.

Pant stressed that the state government stood with the affected teachers, saying the state government had made a “clearance petition” and the West Bengal government prayed for the status quo.

“We have filed a petition in the Supreme Court. We say everyone should continue to work. We will also seek to review the petition. In this case, legal issues are being reviewed. We reassure you again that we are with you [affected teachers and non teaching staff],” said the chief secretary.

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On April 3, a Supreme Court order upheld an earlier ruling by the Kolkata High Court, which repealed the appointment of 25,752 teachers, resulting in a major crisis in the school education sector in West Bengal. The challenge for the state government is to keep schools operating in the state.

The chief secretary held a press conference outside of school inspectors in Southern Kolkata. The police resorted to force and used “accusations” on protesting teachers.

Urgeing teachers not to not do this: anything that will undermine peace and order, Mr. Pant said: “Teachers play a special role in society. We respect them.”

“We have sought the Supreme Court’s explanation. We are waiting for it. No one has received a letter of termination. We must keep in mind the Supreme Court’s judgment. We should not succumb to anyone’s provocation. We should not hold the law in our own hands in any way.”

Meanwhile, state education minister Bratya Basu hints at the meeting between affected teachers. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met those who were cancelled and supported them. The Supreme Court accepted the Kolkata High Court’s ruling to cancel the appointment of more than 25,000 people, as the recruitment process of West Bengal School Education Ministry is full of irregularities and it is difficult to distinguish “polluted” from “unpolluted” candidates.