The school service commission (SSC) has published a detailed list specifying the reasons for the termination of teaching and non-teaching employees identified as “tainted” in government-aided schools.
The list, uploaded late on Wednesday, explains how many of the 1,806 tainted assistant teachers at the secondary (Classes IX-X) and higher secondary (Classes XI-XII) levels secured jobs through three main categories of irregularities: “OMR mismatch”, “rank jump” and “out of panel”.
The same three categories have been cited as the reasons for the termination of 3,512 non-teaching staff in Group C and Group D posts.
An OMR mismatch refers to the tampering of optical mark recognition sheets, indicating that candidates’ scores may have been fraudulently inflated. Rank jumping involves the appointment of candidates lower on the merit list, bypassing those placed higher. Out-of-panel appointments refer to candidates who were neither empanelled nor waitlisted but were nonetheless appointed.
The publication of the list follows a January 7 order by Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court, directing the SSC to prepare and publish a fresh list clearly stating the rationale behind categorising each candidate as tainted.
“The list includes the candidate’s name, the name of his or her guardian, the subject for which the candidate was appointed and the date of birth. We have published the list in compliance with the court’s order,” SSC chairperson Siddhartha Majumdar said.
Of the 1,806 tainted teachers, 997 were appointed at the secondary level, with the remaining at the higher secondary level. Among the 3,512 tainted non-teaching staff, 2,349 belong to Group D, while the remaining 1,163 were Group C employees.
Justice Sinha had asked the SSC to publish the list before February 11, the next date of hearing in the case.
An SSC official said this was the third time the commission had published a list of tainted candidates. The first list was released on August 30, 2025, following Supreme Court directives aimed at preventing tainted candidates from participating in the September recruitment tests.
The list was published again on November 27 after allegations surfaced that the SSC’s interview list for higher secondary teachers included candidates barred by the Supreme Court.
“The earlier lists contained only names, subjects and guardians’ details. The reasons for termination were not included as the court had not asked for them. This time, the rationale has been mentioned,” the official said.