Bratya Basu warns SSC protestors: Don’t weaken legal fight, eligibility list not ordered by Court

Job-terminated candidates have launched a sit-in protest outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) office, demanding the immediate publication of the list of eligible and ineligible candidates. The protest began Monday night and continued through Tuesday, with demonstrators vowing to continue their agitation until the list is released. During the protest, 16 officials, including SSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar, were stuck inside the building.

The protestors' key demand is the publication of the complete eligibility list following recent developments in the ongoing SSC recruitment case. According to them, the list is essential for transparency in the recruitment process and must be released without further delay. The protest outside the SSC office has continued without disruption, and demonstrators have stated they will not back down unless their demands are addressed.

In response to the ongoing protest, Education Minister Bratya Basu held a press conference on Tuesday. He urged the job-terminated candidates to return to work and stated that the government is moving forward with a review petition in the Supreme Court. “Don’t do anything that could weaken the review petition,” said Basu. He clarified that the matter is still pending in the Supreme Court and that the state would act strictly through legal channels.

The minister also said, “From the first day, the Chief Minister has stood by the job-terminated candidates. You know who took your jobs. We are working for you.” He reminded the protestors that the Supreme Court had not ordered the publication of the eligibility list and said, “Until December 31, eligible candidates can continue working and will be paid. The rest is our responsibility. Nothing will be done without legal consultation.”

Bratya Basu further appealed to the protestors not to disrupt departmental work, pointing out that Madhyamik paper evaluation is underway and that women employees are also affected by the ongoing agitation. “Return to work, let us do ours,” he said. He added, “SSC is fighting for you. The government is with you. Don’t create unrest and bring harm upon yourselves.” Despite this, the sit-in continued through Tuesday with no resolution announced.