Sacked teachers allowed to return to schools until the end of the year, organised a drive to speed up their preparations to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order terminating their jobs.

The Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum held drives in West Midnapore district and elsewhere to obtain signatures on a Vakalatnama, a legal document authorising a lawyer to represent a client in court proceedings.

The office bearers of the platform said they were using the summer vacation in schools, that started on Wednesday, to complete the formalities of getting the signatures of all 15,403 teachers who have identified as “not specifically found to be tainted” and allowed to return to schools until the end of December and draw their
salaries.

“On Monday, we assembled at Vidyasagar Hall in Kharagpur. About one thousand teachers joined and signed the legal document. Similar drives are being held in other districts. Those who live in and around Calcutta are coming to Y-channel in Esplanade to complete the formalities. We are using the summer vacation to finish our preparations for the legal battle ahead,” said Chinmoy Mandal, a joint convener of the forum.

At Esplanade’s Y-channel, over 100 teachers assembled on Thursday. They took notes from those who signed the Vakalatnama.

On Wednesday, about 250 teachers had signed the document.

A teacher said they received their salaries on April 30. “But what will happen after December? Teachers have a right to work till the age of 60. We don’t want to be reinstated through a fresh recruitment process. Since we got jobs fairly, we must be allowed to continue as we used to before April 3,” said a teacher.

On April 3, the apex court had terminated the jobs of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff because the entire recruitment process held by the school service commission in 2016 was “vitiated” and “tainted beyond recognition.”

The teachers in the sign campaign are among 15,403 teachers identified as not specifically tainted following the Supreme Court’s April 17 order in response to a petition from the state secondary board.

The board sought a reprieve for 17,206 teachers so that the classes could be held in the ongoing academic year.

The SSC eliminated the names of 1,804 teachers from the list of 17,206 teachers because they were allegedly appointed illegally.

A protesting teacher said they were in constant touch with the school education department officials to decide on the next course of action. “We will soon hold a meeting,” said Chinmoy Mandal.