The Calcutta High Court order directing the CBI to probe into the role of West Bengal government officials in an alleged teacher recruitment scam was stayed by the Supreme Court on Monday, in a huge relief to the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
The top court was hearing a petition by the state government against a high court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools.
"We will stay the direction which says the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) will undertake further investigation against officials in the state government," said a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra.
Challenging the order, the state government, in its appeal filed before the top court, said the high court cancelled the appointments "arbitrarily".
"The high court failed to appreciate the ramification of cancelling the entire selection process, leading to straightaway termination of teaching and non-teaching staff from service with immediate effect, without giving sufficient time to the petitioner state to deal with such an exigency, rendering the education system at a standstill," read the petition by the Bengal government.
The Calcutta High Court had said the CBI would undertake further investigations with regard to the persons involved in the state government approving the creation of supernumerary post to accommodate illegal appointments.
The high court further added that, if needed, the CBI will undertake custodial interrogation of such persons involved.