Almost a year after a Supreme Court directive, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has commenced the process of recovering salaries from candidates found ‘tainted’ in the cash-for-school job case. The Commission has forwarded lists of such candidates to District Magistrates, who will now begin the recovery process by notifying the individuals about the amounts to be returned.
The recovered sum will encompass the salaries received by the tainted candidates along with the accrued interest, as mandated by the Calcutta High Court Division Bench in 2024 and subsequently reiterated by the Supreme Court last year. The delay in initiating this recovery process was attributed to the Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government.
The Supreme Court had criticized the Bengal government for the delay and set a 12% interest rate on the principal salaries received by the tainted candidates during their employment. The recovery will be conducted under the Bengal Public Demands Recovery Act, 1913, allowing for confiscation and auctioning of properties owned by candidates who fail to pay.
Each tainted candidate is expected to repay an average sum ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, depending on their service duration and salary levels.
