Calcutta HC saves job for 32,000 teachers: Quashes former Justice Abhijit Ganguly's verdict

In a courtroom twist that brought tears of joy to thousands, the Calcutta High Court’s Division Bench today overturns Former Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s 2023 order and saved the jobs of around 32,000 primary school teachers appointed in 2016 based on the 2014 TET exam. The bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Ritabrata Kumar Mitra ruled that while clear irregularities and corruption did happen in the recruitment process, cancelling so many jobs after years of service would destroy innocent families who had nothing to do with the scam. “These teachers have been working for years and supporting their families. We cannot punish the innocent for the sins of a few,” the judges observed, putting human faces above technical flaws and scam.

Outside the court, hundreds of teachers and job aspirants who had waited anxiously since morning burst into cheers as news came out from the courtoom. The case began when 140 “deprived” candidates, including Priyanka Naskar, proved that trained and higher-scoring aspirants were unfairly left out while many untrained or lower-scoring candidates mysteriously made it to the final panel. Former Justice Gangopadhyay had then found the entire 42,549-strong 2016 panel 'tainted' after the Primary Education Board failed to explain how 824 people with 13 marks less than the official cut-off still got jobs. He ordered a complete cancellation, but today’s Division Bench took a more balanced view: corruption existed, yet uprooting 32,000 lives after nearly a decade of honest teaching would be unjust. The court also noted the Board’s repeated failure to produce proper caste-wise panels and transparent mark sheets, but chose compassion over blanket punishment.For the teachers who have been living under the shadow of job loss for over a year.

Today’s verdict feels like a second chance at life. Many broke down in gratitude, while the original 140 petitioners left quietly, their long fight ending in partial defeat but with the court acknowledging the flaws they exposed. The judgment closes one painful chapter of Bengal’s recruitment scandal saga, yet leaves open questions about accountability for those who actually manipulated the system. For now, 32,000 teachers will keep their familiar faces, and more than thousands of children across Bengal will continue learning from teachers who finally have peace.