TMC welcomes Supreme Court’s interim stay on the High Court’s order terminating 26,000 jobs in West Bengal

Trinamool Congress leadership in Kolkata celebrates Supreme Court's stay on teacher job terminations amid political controversy in West Bengal.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership in West Bengal on Tuesday expressed happiness over the Supreme Court’s decision to grant an interim stay on the order of the Calcutta High Court terminating the jobs of about 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff recruited for State-run schools.

The termination of jobs has emerged as a political issue in the ongoing Lok Sabha election, and became a high point of the campaigns of both the ruling and Opposition parties in the State.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was “really very happy and mentally relaxed” on receiving justice at the highest court of the land. While addressing election rallies on Tuesday, the TMC chairperson targeted Opposition parties over the job terminations and said “like man-eating tigers there are job-eating tigers” in the State.

Speaking in a similar vein, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said truth had triumphed. “The Honorable Supreme Court has DEFUSED the BJP’s ‘EXPLOSIVE’ hurled last week to malign Bengal’s image and destabilise WB government. TRUTH HAS TRIUMPHED! We will continue to defy all odds and stand shoulder to shoulder with the people until our last breath,” Mr. Banerjee posted on social media platform X.

The issue of termination of jobs that came into effect after an order by a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court on April 22 was raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign in the State. The PM assured legal help to candidates who had qualified in the examination without using unfair means and had lost their jobs due to the High Court order.

A Division Bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Justice Md Shabbar Rashi invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff on grounds of irregularities in the appointment process.

A section of teachers whose jobs were terminated started a hunger strike after the High Court order in Kolkata, which was called off following the intervention of the Supreme Court.