The Calcutta High Court has issued an interim stay on the cancellation of 313 teaching positions in Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)-run schools across Darjeeling, Kurseong, and Kalimpong in West Bengal. This decision comes after a single-judge bench had deemed these recruitments illegal on December 17. GTA contested this ruling before a division bench, which has now halted the cancellation for 12 weeks.
The division bench highlighted that the teachers affected by the order had served for a considerable period and that recruitment processes were stalled due to past political unrest in the region. Allegations of unauthorized teacher appointments in GTA-controlled schools prompted a case in the Calcutta High Court, leading to a CBI investigation order by Justice Basu. However, the state government challenged this directive, resulting in the CID taking over the probe as per the Supreme Court’s ruling.
While the main case on irregular appointments remains pending before Justice Basu, the recent order to cancel the appointments has been put on hold by the division bench. This move aims to address concerns over the legality and circumstances surrounding the recruitment process in the GTA-run schools.
