West Bengal Jobs Scam: Mamata Banerjee Says HC Verdict ‘Illegal’; BJP Demands CM’s Resignation

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee is fuming at Calcutta High Court’s order cancelling all appointments made through a 2016 teacher recruitment exam.

So much so that the West Bengal chief minister said Monday’s verdict, pronounced by a division bench comprising Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi, is “illegal.”

Urging the 25,000-odd affected teachers not to worry and take any drastic step, Mamata said that her government will stand by them and challenge the verdict in Supreme Court.

Addressing an election rally at Raiganj in North Bengal, Mamata also levelled a serious accusation of BJP leaders influencing a section of the judiciary and judgments.

“This is an illegal order. I am not speaking against the judges. I can speak on the verdict. We challenge this verdict, we will go to a higher court,” Mamata while addressing an election rally in North Dinajpur’s Chakulia under Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency.

“They have been asked to return their salaries. Is it possible? How can they return the money? You get salaries from the government, the security is provided by the government. If you are asked to return the salaries will you be able to do it?” Mamata said in a fiery speech.

Alleging that BJP was trying to influence judiciary, Mamata said: “Verdicts are written as dictated by the BJP. I am ready to go to jail for saying so, for speaking for the people. I am not scared.”

The BJP demanded Mamata’s resignation as CM as well as her arrest.

“If she has any shame she should resign,” said retired High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay who is BJP’s candidate from Tamluk, and played a crucial role in a probe into the school teachers’ jobs scam by central agencies.

BJP said that Mamata, as head of state under whom such a huge scam took place, should be arrested.

Earlier in the day, Calcutta High Court ordered cancellation of all appointments which were made through recruitment process of the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools, declaring it “null and void”.