Indefinite strike across Darjeeling & Kalimpong govt schools from today after Calcutta HC terimates 313 teachers' job

In a major blow to education in the Darjeeling hills, the Calcutta High Court has cancelled the jobs of 313 teachers working under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), calling their 2019 appointments illegal due to recruitment flaws. This ruling has sparked strong protests, leading the Sanjukta Madhyamik Shikshak Sangathan of Hills to call an indefinite shutdown of all GTA-run schools in Darjeeling and Kalimpong starting today. Even ongoing annual exams and result announcements will be put on hold, as teachers demand justice and blame administrative errors rather than individual faults.

The affected teachers regularised in 2019 after years of service, many without proper qualifications like BEd degrees. The court, led by Justice Biswajit Basu, questioned why the state should pay salaries for such hires and ordered an immediate stop to their payments, along with a CID probe into the irregularities. Sanjukta Madhyamik Shikshak Sangathan Teachers' leader Santosh Kharka warned that the decision could harm retired staff, current teachers, and volunteers, insisting the fault lies with past governments and GTA systems that allowed informal hiring for several years.

GTA chief Anit Thapa has promised to fight for fairness and explore all options to support the sacked teachers. With secondary schools under GTA control now closed from today, students' face uncertainty while the hills grapple with this fresh education crisis rooted in long-standing recruitment issues. Reportedly, GTA controls 360 secondary schools in the hills across Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. In March 2019, the Bengal state government directed GTA to recruit teachers. GTA recruited 313 teachers in June 2019. 

Meanwhile, Kolkata resident Jasumuddin Mondal filed a case in the Calcutta High Court alleging illegal recruitment of GTA teachers. Former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee's name appears in this case and complaints were also filed against Binay Tamang and Trinamool youth leader Trinankur Bhattacharya. The complaint states that illegal recruitments were made in schools under the GTA. The case was initially heard by a single bench of Justice Biswajit Basu of the Calcutta High Court. At that time, he ordered a CBI investigation at the initial stage of the case. The state moved to the division bench challenging the verdict. The division bench also upheld Justice Basu's verdict.

The state then further approached the Supreme Court and the top court dismissed the order for a CBI investigation and sent the case back to the Calcutta High Court. The case further came up again in the courtroom of Justice Biswajit Basu. Justice Basu yesterday ordered the termination of the jobs of 313 teachers in a case of recruitment corruption in government schools under the GTA of Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills. The judge said, “The salaries of those teachers should be stopped. Why should the state bear the burden of those whose educational qualifications are in question? What is their educational qualification?" He then gave the verdict to cancel the jobs of 313 people. The judge ordered a CID investigation along with the cancellation of jobs.