The long-running concerns over teacher recruitment in West Bengal resurfaced on Friday as the Calcutta High Court asked the School Service Commission (SSC) to furnish details of appointments made after the expiry of the 2016 selection panel.

The direction came during a hearing on petitions challenging the 2025 recruitment rules for teachers in government-run and aided schools for classes 9-10 and 11-12.

The petitioners have questioned provisions in the new rules and raised concerns over transparency in the ongoing selection process.

One petitioner alleged that the SSC had still not submitted the list of candidates appointed after the 2016 panel lapsed.

Responding to this, Justice Amrita Sinha directed the Commission to place before the court the list of those who received appointments “after the expiry of the panel for teachers” as per the 2016 School Level Selection Test (SLST).

The panel for SLST 2016 expired in November 2018 for classes 11-12 and in March 2019 for classes 9-10. The court will next hear the matter on December 10.

Senior advocate Bikash Bhattacharya, appearing for some petitioners, urged the court to ensure that the ongoing recruitment exercise restores public faith.

He submitted that the court must ensure the process is “made absolutely beyond a reasonable doubt to instil confidence in society.”

A separate concern was raised by petitioners who are fresh candidates. They have challenged the provision granting ten marks for prior teaching experience, arguing that it puts newcomers at a disadvantage.

Their lawyer, Billwadal Bhattacharya, told the court that the clause violates the constitutional promise of equal opportunity. He argued that the provision “is hitting directly at the principle of equality as enumerated in Article 14 of the Constitution.”