Some teachers who had gathered outside the high court on Wednesday were whooping in delight. Others smeared each other with Holi colours. Many more walked away quietly, relieved that they could return to school “with our heads held high”.
Primary school teachers who had assembled outside the court said they hoped “society would now accept us with respect” after a division bench ruled out any “systemic cheating” in their recruitment. Many said they had dreaded the consequences if the bench had upheld Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s order sacking all 32,000 of them.
Such was the anxiety that several teachers broke down in tears when they heard the bench was “disinclined” to uphold the sack order. Some said the high court, which had once branded them “undeserving”, had restored their honour on Wednesday.
Ujjayini Santra, 31, of Purba Belariya Free Primary School in Mograhat, Hooghly, said: “It truly feels good to see that the same court which once called us ‘undeserving’ has delivered a judgment allowing us to return to school with our heads held high.” Santra struggled to fight back tears. “This fight was always for our dignity,” she said.
Sayan Saha, 34, who teaches at Lakshmipur Prathamik Vidyalaya in East Burdwan, shared the same relief. “I am the sole breadwinner for my home. I have a loan of about ₹30 lakh, and my ageing parents are ailing. Had the order of the single bench been upheld, I do not know what would have happened to them. This order is a huge relief for us.”
Saha added: “The court did not find anything against us. We were innocent all along. Now, finally, we can celebrate.”
Education minister Bratya Basu said the division bench’s order showed that despite multiple allegations levelled by agencies like the CBI and ED over the past five years, charges against the education department could not be proved.
“The education department has been under relentless attack by the Opposition. Society also started believing that the recruitment methods drawn up by the department were completely flawed. Wednesday’s order has helped restore the department’s honour before society to a great extent,” Basu said.
He added that he wanted secondary and higher secondary teachers who lost their jobs to get them back as well.
On April 3, the Supreme Court terminated the jobs of 17,209 teachers of Classes IX to XII after finding the entire recruitment process conducted by the school service commission in 2016 “vitiated” and “tainted beyond redemption”. In July, the court said 15,403 of them were “untainted” but would have to clear fresh selection tests to retain their jobs.
“The results of the recruitment tests are out. We are now holding the interviews,” Basu said. “I hope that just as the jobs of the primary teachers have been saved, the sacked secondary and higher secondary teachers must also be able to retain their jobs.”