In a significant move towards transparency, the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) has republished a comprehensive list of 1,806 individuals previously flagged as 'tainted' candidates from the controversial 2016 teacher recruitment drive. This action, taken on Thursday, November 27, 2025, directly adheres to a directive from the Calcutta High Court.
Court Mandate Drives Enhanced Transparency
The Calcutta High Court had instructed the SSC to republish the names of these 'undeserving' teachers with comprehensive identification details. The newly uploaded list, made public at noon on Thursday, includes critical information such as the candidates' full names, their parents' names, the subjects they were selected to teach, their roll numbers, and their dates of birth. This marks a substantial enhancement from previous disclosures, aiming to ensure full public scrutiny.
However, a key piece of information remains absent from the list. It does not specify the respective schools where these tainted teachers have been employed for nearly the past decade, leaving a gap in the complete accountability picture.
Background of a "Vitiated" Selection Process
The roots of this issue trace back to a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court, which invalidated the appointments of a staggering 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff who had qualified through the 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST). The apex court had declared the entire selection process as "tainted and vitiated" beyond redemption, casting a long shadow over the recruitment exercise.
In a related development from August, the Supreme Court had recorded the SSC's submission that no such tainted candidates from the 2016 process would be permitted to participate in the fresh 2025 selection test. The court had further observed that if any such candidates managed to slip through the vetting process, their eligibility would be subject to rigorous scrutiny.
SSC Official Clarifies on 2025 Test Participation
When questioned about whether any of these 1,806 tainted candidates were among those who appeared for the new recruitment test held in September 2025, an SSC official provided a clear denial. The official emphasized that the re-release of the list was purely a procedural compliance with the court's order for greater detail and transparency. "We had earlier uploaded the same list of tainted teachers. But this time as directed by the high court, we have included the additional details to ensure full transparency," the official stated.
This re-publication underscores the ongoing legal and administrative efforts to address the deep-seated irregularities in the 2016 teacher recruitment process, a scandal that has had significant ramifications for West Bengal's education sector.
